When it comes to gender dynamics, women are caught between a rock and a hard place. Some men haven’t changed their way of thinking and still expect us to take care of the house and the kids; even if you do find a guy who helps out, he might make you feel worse about yourself just by doing his share. Research published in Personal Relationships found that when a father spent a lot of solo time with his child and the mom perceived him to be a competent caregiver, the woman had a lower self-competence rating. Researcher Takayuki Sasaki said he believes this is because women think they’re expected to play the main role in parenting, even as society tries to shift to a more egalitarian approach. The father, on the other hand, doesn’t feel any worse about himself if the mother is highly involved. “Husbands do not suffer from self-competence losses even when their wives are involved and skillful because that is consistent with cultural expectations,” Sasaki told LiveScience. Do you ever feel like your guy is encroaching on your domain when he helps around the house?
Source: Niche
Original by: Catherine Strawn
