“Go make me a sandwich!” If a guy’s heard shouting that at a woman nowadays, he’s called a sexist pig. Any man who believes that a woman’s place is in the kitchen is a male chauvinist pig, right? Well, maybe not… Maybe he’s just looking out for the best interests and health of the fairer sex.
What are we talking about? Well, new research from the University of Reading seems to prove that there’s a direct link between the overall happiness and average life expectancy of a woman and the amount of time she spends performing domestic chores around the house. The conclusion? The more a woman’s in the kitchen, the healthier she is.
Which is pretty great news all round, eh fellas…?
Associate Professor Dr. Jonathan Fortune‘s twenty five year-long study followed the domestic habits of more than two hundred women across the UK and sees an average life expectancy of an added three years extra for women who perform the bulk of the household chores. Specifically kitchen-based tasks such as cooking and washing dishes.
“This project, which ran alongside several others our department has conducted about gender roles and their affect on happiness, stress levels and lifspan, has surprised us,” Dr. Fortune told The Lancet medical journal.
“We didn’t want to upsets feminists and we’re sure the research will come under attack,” he went on. “But the data backs it up, we’re afraid. If women want to live longer and healthier lives, the best thing they can do is rustle up dinner every night. Oh, and clean up afterwards themselves too, obviously.”
There’s also a link to stress relief. Kitchen chores were found to be quantifiably relaxing and have a real therapeutic value for the women who took part in the research. Dr. Fortune continues: “They’re – weirdly – less like suffer from stress and to moan all the time if they just peel and cook a few potatoes every day.”
The news has come under fire from some women’s groups, but the research team from the UCL stand by their findings.
“My wife didn’t take kindly to the report,” Dr. Fortune told the press recently. “But luckily my office at home is a long way from our kitchen, so I can’t really hear her complaining about it.”
