Dealing with Retired Husbands

Relationships with our spouse in Retirement[1]

Five happiness characteristics of Men’s spouses are:

·  Good Health

·  Having a husband willing to help with chores

·  Quality of relationship including sexual relationship

·  Attending theater

·  Sporting events

Furthermore, Spouses who had never worked express:

·  Higher levels of satisfaction than those who have worked and were now retired.

Men’s Housework

 Time availability and wife’s ideology are consistent predictors of retired husbands sharing of more routine housework.

·  Husbands do more

·  Sometimes however, husbands may be seen as “impinging” on their spouses territory,

Some research has found that: Husbands, during the first year of retirement may be seen as “intruders” in there their wife’s world-as-lived.  This is seen as the most difficult aspects of husband’s retirement

Because cultural norms have not provided meaningful scripts, husbands at home may produce conflict around

ü   Cohort division of labour

ü   Gender roles

ü   “Husband underfoot.

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[1] Over ten years ago I created a retirement workshop, which included information and discussion of our relationships with our spouses.   The information was taken  from research articles.   I am interested in your interpretation.  It's time for me to go, --got to do the dishes.