#RSS Feed for Mother Tongue articles - Telegraph.co.uk [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Wednesday 19 December 2018 * Home * Video * News * World * Sport * Business * Money * Comment * Culture * Travel * Life * Women * Fashion * Luxury * Tech * Film * Politics * Work * Family * Sex * Life * Health * Wonder Women Columnists Advertisement 1. Home» 2. Women» 3. Mother Tongue Secret of a man’s happiness: do the dishes for a quiet life They may be written off down the pub as “under the thumb”, but husbands who do more chores in the home are happier than those who do not, according to experts at Cambridge University. Secret of a man’s happiness: do the dishes for a quiet life Secret of a man’s happiness: do the dishes for a quiet life Photo: CORBIS By John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor 6:30AM BST 27 Jun 2012 Follow A study of men across seven countries found that those who shouldered a bigger share of domestic responsibilities had a better sense of wellbeing and enjoyed a better work-life balance. But experts suggested that, while this may be partly because they felt less guilty, the main reason could be that they had simply learnt the secret of a quiet life. Sociologists used data from the regular European Social Survey which compares the lifestyles of people across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Britain. All of the participants are asked standard questions used to measure their happiness or wellbeing such as whether they feel “fulfilled” in life and whether they wake up feeling refreshed. They were also asked a series of questions designed to measure their levels of “work-life conflict”. Related Articles * Good marriage and puppy secret to long life 14 Nov 2012 * Why the Germans are far-sighted, Italians impatient and French depressive - according to studies 03 Apr 2013 * Women master cookery at the age of 55, says survey 31 Oct 2012 * Men sharing household chores 31 Jul 2011 * British women ‘leisure queens’ of the Western world, international study says 05 Mar 2014 * Household chores bad for heart 13 Jan 2011 The answers from men and women were then compared with separate questions dealing with how much time they spent on tasks like cooking, washing, shopping or DIY. The researchers expected to find that where men shouldered more of the burden, women’s happiness levels were higher. In fact they found that it was the men who were happier while their wives and girlfriends appeared to be largely unmoved. Those men who did more housework generally reported less work-life conflict and were scored slightly higher for wellbeing overall. Prof Jacqueline Scott, professor of empirical sociology at Cambridge, co-author of a book on gender roles in which the study is included, said this may be because more men support gender equality than in the past. But she added that it may also be that women nowadays are more likely to be vocal in making their feelings about lazy husbands known. “Times are changing,” she said. “As a more equitable philosophy becomes the ideal, if you are experiencing something which doesn’t live up to that to are more ready to express dissatisfaction – and certainly that is what is perceived by men. “They are picking up on more family conflict.” She added: “There were really good reasons from the literature for thinking that it would be women who really benefited if the men did more but that is not what we found and that is what is interesting. “I think that really is because by and large women have taken it for granted that they would have to do a double shift. “It is not that their wellbeing rises if he is doing more on this measure.” Mother Tongue * News » * UK News » * John Bingham » In Mother Tongue Sexting part of everyday life for half of teenagers Pornography has changed the landscape of adolescence Bryony Gordon: How to throw a cheap kids birthday party for under £35 How to throw a children's birthday party - without going viral Lucy Cavendish's dog has been very unwell '"I will give her an injection and she will drift off," the vet says' Bryony Gordon's daughter is a toddler 'I am an adult. Finally, an adult!' On her family holiday in Mauritius Bryony Gordon experiences a storm 'The mountain behind the resort has been swallowed by clouds and mist' Read more from Women Advertisement Advertisement Latest video» Rat climbs over man Large rat climbs on sleeping commuter Disabled great-grandfather denied stairlift and forced to crawl Old and frail wombat is rescued Elderly wombat rescued after being attacked Scientist in lab Sponsored When media meets medicine Advertisement Advertisement News Progress 17 supply vehicle departs from the International Space Station The latest news, opinion and analysis View Football Catch up on all the latest football news and results View Film All the latest film trailers, reviews and features View Competitions Enter one of our exciting new competitions View Back to top * HOME * Motoring * Motoring News * Food and Drink * Recipes * Restaurants * Women * Women's Life * Sex * Family and Parenting * Gardening * Gardening Advice * Gardening Pictures * * History * Expat * * Crossword * Blogs * Dating * Contact us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2018 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast