But did you know that if your husband picks up a mop, you might both get more nookie? Men are doing more housework than ever before, but it’s still about 20% less than the amount done by women. “A woman is held to a higher standard for the way her home looks, which is why she stresses out more when it’s messy,” says Joshua Coleman, PhD, author of The Lazy Husband. Most women aren’t in the mood for sex when they feel overwhelmed, Coleman says, but the odds of having the time and energy for it go up when men help out around the house. And, according to Coleman, this also raises the desire factor in another way: “To the wife, the husband helping with housework not only reduces stress but also can feel like an act of affection.”
Get more time for sex by saying to your partner, “Hey, after you do the dishes, let’s go make love.” If he doesn’t catch on to the trade-off, there’s nothing wrong with telling him that too much stress (and, yes, that includes housework) means no sex for him.
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