Planning a household is indeed a factual and practical matter. But when man and woman both work outside the household, housekeeping has become a "pay the rent/pay off the loan" affair. The couple, who previously had clearly divided roles (she in the house, he out of it), now get bogged down in confusion about who exactly is responsible for what.

Even before, the roles were clear: both husband and wife ran a business, they were "business partners" if they managed a farm or ran a craft business, a shop, an inn, and so on. Their children were their life insurers and heirs to their businesses.

Today, neither of them runs a business together, he and she have different outside employment and the woman has had this "freedom" tied to her nose. Husband and wife had their pact taken away from them as a unit (the most important of all) and got lost in competitive thinking in so-called partnerships.

I got married two years ago and have been a housewife ever since. It wouldn't occur to me to let my husband cook because he goes out to earn the money. For the very first time in my entire life, the matter is clearly regulated by this factuality in the division of tasks that arises from the nature of our marriage. It makes life so much easier because there is no level of arguing about cooking. I see cooking as my job, just like keeping the rest of the household in order. My husband doesn't force me to cook, nor do I cling to it, nor do I force my husband to leave the house for work. He does his, I do mine. Sometimes I love cooking, other times it's a chore. It's obvious that exceptions prove the rule.