SOCIETY AND CULTURE REVEALS WHY WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD END UP WORKING HARDEST AROUND THE HOME
Handling thousands of divorces in the last two decades it has become apparent to us that is more common for women to displace themselves to stay with their husbands than their husband to stay with their new bride and her family in the inception of marriage. We are seeing this mostly in our area in Long Island and often with new populations that have moved into the island. For example, when a female moves away from her family and her family's town to move into her husband's home or the home of her husband's parents, she is at a significant disadvantage. She misses her own family as she lives away from her immediate kin. This is exasperated when they are living with the man's parents in a dynamic known as a patrilocality. When women stay with their native family and men move in with their wife and their native family that's called a matrilocality, that is rare.
Women who are in a patrilocality are without blood relatives around them and at a disadvantage when it comes to bargaining power and often bear the brunt of the workload in the household.
In a matrilocality, the bargaining power is increased and there is almost perfect sex equality and workload. This is the only instance when this occurs.
When both sexes leave their families and start a life together, the workload is heavier on the woman traditionally. This is anthropologically known and socially documented partly because women are on the average, physically weaker than men and may have reduced bargaining power.
Conclusion:
Anthropologically and from an evolutionary standpoint, a woman is best having a man leave his home and move into her family's home for there to be perfect sex equal equality in workload. If a woman leaves her home and enters the home of her husband's family or the home of her husband, she may suffer in terms of missing her own family and in terms of the workload that will be unfavorably put upon her. Of course, bargaining strength is not limited to family; kin and physical strength, as wealth; education and autonomy boost bargaining power.
To bring this to prehistorical context, men were hunters and women were gatherers. This would mean that men would seemingly be walking the furthest. However, current studies have women walking over 12,000 steps per day while men walking over 9,000 steps a day and women spending far less on social activities; hanging around and resting while men are practically dominating these activities with their time. This may be due to the current state of the economy which has forced many couples into a patrilocality dynamic thereby living in the man’s family home which is most always leaves the wife working harder.
So if you are female and move away from home at marriage, take care not to miss your family but also not to lessen your workload.
Bryan L. Salamone & Associates, P.C. is the Long Island leader in divorce representation. Please call 1.631.479.3839 or contact us online to discuss your circumstances and legal options in a free consultation with a qualified New York family lawyer.