How Your Husband’s Siblings or Lack of Them Will Shape Your Marriage
An article posted by Chaunie Bruise on Babble has caught our attention, and we decided to share it with our readers. Studies show interesting data on men who grow up with only male or female siblings and what kind of impact that upbringing has on their future marriages.
So here is how your husband’s siblings or lack of them can impact your marriage:
1. Men with sisters may grow up to be husbands who don’t do chores.
An interesting study from Stanford Graduate School of Business found that men who grow up with only sisters actually do less around the house as kids, a trend that follows them through adulthood and may actually shape their view of traditional male/female roles.
The study also found that in families where men had only female siblings, the men were more likely to lean towards conservative political views and more likely to view household chores as “women’s work.”
2. Sisters can make men more generous.
Another study found that men who have daughters or men who grow up surrounded by females tend to be more generous with their money. Researchers theorize that caring for, or being around women, may increase the hormones that can lead to more empathy, compassion, and generosity for others.
3. Sisters could make you both happier spouses.
Researchers out of The University of Ulster found that growing up with sisters makes people happier, more balanced individuals who are more willing to be open with their feelings and emotions.
4. Older siblings could be responsible for your relationship success.
A study by William Ickes, Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas found that people with older, opposite-sex siblings had an easier time breaking the ice in blind date situations and got along easier during the date. Having an older sibling could also provide the experience of learning from his or her mistakes, which translates into time and heartache saved for you.
5. Your siblings may be the reason for a long-lasting marriage.
Spouses who come from large families are actually less likely to divorce. With a handful of siblings, there wasn’t much of a difference, but any family that had more than one child showed a significant reduction in divorce rates when compared to single-child families. And not surprisingly, “large” families with seven or more children showed the most stable marriages — all that sharing and compromise must come in handy for navigating marriage.
6. Men with only brothers marry strong women.
Men who grow up with primarily only male siblings close in age get pretty used to taking orders from the strong female in their lives, their mothers. So when they grow up to be husbands, they may just look for a woman who doesn’t mind taking charge once in a while. Those men grow up familiar with the concept of a “queen bee” with an in-charge mother. She tells everyone what to do and all the boys just get in line and do as mother says.
7. All male siblings may make your man a bit egotistical.
Mothers who pump up the image of their precious little boy being perfect may be doing their future spouses a disservice. “Mothers of (only) boys think their boys are perfect!” says Julie. “(She is) clueless about any naughty behavior her son may have partaken in. If she doesn’t know about it, then it never happened!”
Adapted from: Babble.com
