How Should Men and Women Split the Domestic Load?

How Should Men and Women Split the Domestic Load?

Women are advancing through college and their careers faster than ever, only to find that progress comes to a sudden halt when they have children. Even women who choose to dial down their careers find they are exhausted and depleted, wondering why they can never catch up. The problem? One significant contributing factor is the domestic load - the work women tend to do in families which includes activities like meal planning, thank you note writing, and shuttling children wherever they need to go. In the New York Times bestseller Fair Play, Eve Rodsky argues that this “time tax” is preventing women from living fulfilled lives, ruining relationships, and preventing women from offering their unique gifts to the world. This invisible work that so many women do became evident during the pandemic, when “working from home” forced millions of women to leave the workforce altogether due to utter burnout from working a double shift. For Catholics, there is a particular emphasis on family life and the reality that there simply is a lot of work that goes into building and maintaining a family home. So what are couples to do? Split housework 50/50? By how much money either spouse makes from their public work? How can women discern what they want and need in and outside of the home? And what should women be thinking about in dating relationships to prepare for these kinds of conversations in marriage?