Is unemployment breeding househusbands or couch potatoes? Studies from the 90s suggest that when men lose their jobs, they tend to do less housework than when they were bringing home a paycheque. But based on anecdotal evidence from readers, Slate writer Emily Bazelon argues that the roles may be shifting. In this recession, many women report that their laid-off partners are actually picking up more of the cleaning and childcare duties. That said, some say a hesitance to bruise the “fragile male ego” is keeping them from insisting that chores be divided differently.
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