Great post, Elicia. I think it's often forgotten that until the mid-20th century, relationships functioned brilliantly simply because they created a world where men could specialise and women could task share.

So, the men would specialise in providing resources and fixing things that broke, which gave them a feeling of self worth, and the women would specialise in the house but would not be alone, typically the majority of the roles women did were shared with other women, whether they be family members, community members or whoever. So, when women specialised in the old system they did so through task sharing which stopped them feeling alienated.

The problem is, it’s very difficult for the same to happen in the modern world. This is because in modern relationships there is no community, and so the home becomes a very isolated place where the only person who can task share with a woman is her other half.

At the same time, there is not much men can truly specialise in these days when it comes to the home environment. Women can equally earn money, they also can equally call for workmen to repair problems, and much more, that lack of specialism makes men feel worthless.

So, you are dead right, creating a good balance between specialising and task sharing really is the way forwards when it comes to creating a dynamic that works in relationships, the fact that so many struggle to, is why so many end up having problems.

Great post again, thanks for sharing!