The University of Western Ontario reports in an unpublished study that sharing paid and unpaid work at home results in more satisfaction than other models. News release is below, or download the research brief [PDF].

A new study published by The University of Western Ontario reveals that couples who share the responsibility for paid and unpaid work report higher average measures of happiness and life satisfaction than those in other family models.

The ‘shared roles’ category, where each partner’s unpaid work is within 40-60 per cent of the total unpaid work, is a growing category that now represents more than 25 per cent of respondents. Couples are more likely to be in a shared roles model when women have more resources and when the couple is less religious.

The ‘complementary-traditional family’ model – with men doing more paid work and women doing more unpaid work – is declining, but remains the largest category. read more