Married Women Are Asked If Living With Men Is 'Worth It' & Give Some Surprising Answers
"Is that something that I really should be looking forward to in my life?"
Evgeny Atamanenko | Shutterstock Married women are answering whether or not living with a man is something to look forward to. While some agreed that they enjoyed living with their husbands, others claimed that it really isn't all it's cracked up to be.
In a TikTok video, a content creator named Gabriella questioned if she should be excited about the prospect of one day cohabitating with her husband or if it's something she should dread.
Married women were asked if living with men is 'worth it' and gave some surprising answers.
"I wanna know from women over 35 if cohabitating with men is really worth it. Is that something that I really should be looking forward to in my life?" Gabriella inquired in her video. In the comments section, many married women didn't hold back.
Several women admitted that while they love their husbands dearly, if they were to die first, they would most likely never be living with another man again. "Happily married here. And I say this without weirdness — but if he dies first (and he knows this lol) — I will not do it again," one woman insisted.
Another woman added that as long as your husband is incredibly loving, compassionate, understanding, and treats you well, then there should be absolutely no issues when living with them. "He needs to be incredibly amazing, loves you more than you love him… and always wants to make you happy… other than that, it’s a hard NO."
Interestingly enough, according to Dr. Kimber Shelton, a Texas-based psychologist, women are often happier and healthier living alone.
She explained to The Good Trade, "Research continues to show that in comparison to men, women in heterosexual relationships who work outside of the home continue to take on most of the household responsibilities and childcare labor. Working, coming home to cook, clean, attend to children, and meet their partner’s needs leaves little room for consideration of self."
"Only if you have a competent, loving, caring partner. My husband cooks, cleans does grocery shopping more than I do because I work longer hours. He’s emotionally intelligent and supportive. Just find the right guy who cares," another married woman shared.
True Touch Lifestyle | Shutterstock
It seems most of the women who responded to Gabriella's question unanimously agreed that with the right husband, it's a no-brainer.
However, a majority of married women in heterosexual relationships often end up shouldering the bulk of the mental load and labor in a marriage, which makes it difficult to cohabitate with a man in the first place. Unsurprisingly, Pew Research noted that 51% of married men said they are very satisfied with the way household chores are divided between them and their spouses, whereas only 40% of married women said the same.
A married woman argued that being married often isn't healthy for women at all.
In a response to Gabriella's video and the onslaught of comments, a content creator and mom named Paige Turner explained that the dynamics of a modern marriage don't quite make sense for women. "So many of the comments came from married women, women who claim to be happily married who say they would never choose to live with a man again," Paige observed.
She pointed out that this speaks volumes to the reality for many married women. When men get married, they expect to be living with a caregiver instead of a spouse and partner. They expect their wives to clean for them, cook for them, take care of their children, and keep up all of the household responsibilities while they go to work and bring in money.
In today's world, women aren't just staying homemakers, however. They're working full-time jobs, and on top of that, they're still expected to take up the mantle of the traditional aspects of marriage and being a wife. This is exacerbated because men aren't raised with the knowledge of how to take care of a home themselves.
"Even when they 'try to help,' they need a list; they need her to tell them what to do, and it's exhausting for women," Turner said. "It's been shown that marriage isn't actually good for women. Women who are single do better than men."
It's the reason why men are so much more likely to remarry compared to women. In 2019, 35.1% of men were eligible to remarry and did so, compared to 19.4% of women, which is a much higher rate of remarriage and has been the case for many years.
With all of these factors in play, it's no wonder married women are tired of having to live and deal with their husbands. So, if you're single now, you should definitely cherish these years of not having to worry about cohabitating because, from these accounts, it doesn't quite seem like something to be excited about — unless, of course, you find a man that's worth it!
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.