Get a maid.
That’s the simple solution for about one-quarter of marriages that are on the rocks heading for a messy ending because of disagreements over domestic chores.
A recent Harvard study found one out of four marriages end in divorce because someone isn’t carrying their share of the burden of housekeeping responsibilities. Divorce lawyer Jim Mueller, a managing partner with Verner Brumley Mueller Parker, says there are generally warning signs along the way.
“By the time it got to that point, there was a line of communication that had broken down between husband and wife, and that’s what you’re trying to avoid,” he suggests.
Harvard researchers spoke with 3,000 committed couples and discovered the more money they spent on cleaning services the happier they reported being.
And not only is the house nicer, maid service is cheaper than a divorce attorney. Mueller says there have been times when a client has come to him with a complaint about the behavior of their significant other, and he’s compelled to advise them to go elsewhere for a solution. “Talk with somebody. Go talk to a counselor,” he says. “Give them other avenues and resources. The last thing they want to do is throw away a marriage they think is broken down, but it’s not.”