Certainly, since a few decades ago, there has been a lot of improvement. Women are now encouraged to work, rather than staying at home to cook and clean the house. Children are considered a more balanced responsibility for both men and women, with ‘paternity leave’ becoming more popular after a child is born, rather than the woman being forced to leave her job in order to look after the new born. With women getting paid more equally, there is also more chance for women to fund household responsibilities too, rather than relying on her husband to pay for everything. Compared to the old-fashioned ideals that we’ve come to identify misogyny with, marriage appears to be a lot more equalised.
"A study shows that women still do 65% of housework, and are also more likely than their husbands to fold laundry, look after their children and shop for groceries."
But has there been that much change since the 20th century? A study shows that women still do 65% of housework, and are also more likely than their husbands to fold laundry, look after their children and shop for groceries. Mothers are still expected to take time off work to look after children, potentially threatening any promise of promotion or continuing furthering their career. It’s no wonder that having to look after both a husband and multiple children takes almost a year and a half off a woman’s life; by being married, they are accepting more responsibility than the man is. Whether this is society’s fault or pure misogyny, this definitely needs to be addressed more publicly.
Will we ever get to a point where marriages are 50/50, or does marriage always have to be biased in some way? It doesn’t particularly matter, as long as both partners are happy- but if years are really being taken off of womens’ lives as this study suggests, perhaps it's time to consider a new approach to marriage, and the burdens it holds for women in particular.