An increase in the wife?s workload correspondes with increased marital satisfaction for both spouses, a study finds.Getty Images/iStockphoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Just as you're wondering why, oh, why doesn't your office do summer hours, comes news that, actually, stress at work isn't all bad.
Working moms appear to be happier in their marriages when they experience an increase in their workload, according to a new study.
It seems counterintuitive - wouldn't more work strain everything from sleep to schedules? - but a team of researchers from the United States and the Netherlands found that it's true, as the Wall Street Journal reports.
The study analyzed data on workload, work satisfaction and marital satisfaction collected from 196 newlywed couples multiple times over a period of four years.
For couples with kids, an increase in the husband's workload was connected to a decline in marital satisfaction for both spouses. But an increase in the wife's workload corresponded with a spike.
The researchers suggest that their findings may be due to husbands helping out more at home with chores and child care when their wives are doing more at work, according to the WSJ article.
Tilting the scales in favour of work "may liberate wives from some of the burdens of juggling the two worlds of work and family life, increasing their satisfaction with the marriage," the researchers were quoted as saying.
They added that for many people in general, "working hard can be energizing and can complement one's role as a spouse."
Working parents, have you noticed this happening in your household? (And moms, does this make you want to take on more work projects?)