向前一步:第163期 让你的另一半成为你真正的人生搭档(21)

 I urged her to set up the relationship dynamic she wanted sooner rather than later. 我鼓励她，若要建立一种理想的动态关系，则宜早不宜迟。

Jen remembers my suggesting, "If you want an equal partnership¹, you should start now." 她今天还记得我当时的建议：“如果你想要一段平等的关系，现在就应该开始了。”

Jen and Andy discussed the opportunity and decided² she should take the job because of the impact she could have. 霍勒伦和丈夫安迪讨论了这次工作机会。鉴于这份工作能让她发挥更大的潜力，两人决定抓住这次机会。

And who would pick up the slack? Andy would. 那么，家里由谁来替她的班呢？当然是安迪。

He rearranged his work so he could be home with the boys each morning and night, and even more when Jen travels. 他重新调整了自己的工作，这样每天早上和晚上，甚至在霍勒伦出差时他都可以在家照顾孩子。

He now pays all the bills and squeezes in grocery runs as much as she does. 他现在负责处理一切账单，和霍勒伦一样常常在超市里挤来挤去，

He cooks and cleans more, knows the details of the schedule, and is happy to be the number one, in-demand parent for half the week. 更多的时候是他负责做饭和打扫卫生。他知道家务的各种细节，也很乐意一周里有一半时间都坐在家长的“第一把交椅”上。

A year and a half into this new arrangement, 进入这种新关系一年半以后，

Andy told me that he loves his time alone with their boys and the increased role that he has in their lives. 安迪告诉我，他很喜欢在家陪孩子，也很高兴能在家庭生活中发挥日益重要的作用。

Jen loves her job and is glad that she and her husband now have a more equal marriage. 霍勒伦热爱自己的工作，比以前更平等的婚姻关系也让她很开心。

"My time is now as valuable as his," she told me. "As a result, we are happier." “现在，我的时间和他的一样宝贵。”她说，“结果就是，我们都变得更快乐了。”

Research supports Jen's observation that equality between partners leads to happier relationships. 研究证实了霍勒伦的观察：伴侣之间的平等关系会让双方更快乐。

When husbands do more housework, wives are less depressed³, marital⁴ conflicts decrease, and satisfaction rises. 丈夫多做家务，妻子就不会那么抑郁，两人的冲突也会减少，对婚姻生活的满意度自然会提高。

When women work outside the home and share breadwinning duties, couples are more likely to stay together. 当女性在外工作，分担起养家糊口的责任时，夫妻关系也更稳固。

In fact, the risk of divorce reduces by about half when a wife earns half the income and a husband does half the housework. 事实上，当妻子贡献一半的家庭收入、丈夫分担一半的家务劳动时，离婚的风险概率也会降低一半。

 

1 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

4 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。