Health · Fitness & Nutrition · 2 hrs ago
Heavy drinking by men adds to partners’ unpaid care work, study finds
A study examined how alcohol use affects unpaid care work in relationships.
It found that when men have high alcohol consumption, their partners do an average of 2.12 extra hours of domestic work.
The effect was much smaller when women had high alcohol consumption.
The findings highlight how one partner may end up caring for the other after drinking, including during a hangover.
Relationship experts say care becomes a problem when it is one-sided and not discussed.
This imbalance can also harm intimacy and make the relationship feel unequal.
The study does not say what steps couples or others should take next.
A study found that when men have high alcohol consumption, their partners do an average of 2.12 additional hours of domestic work.
The study found that the effect is not symmetrical: women’s alcohol consumption has a much smaller impact on the care work their male partners do.
The research examines how alcohol use affects the distribution of unpaid care work.
Women interviewed by Cinco Días described caring for male partners after drinking as an unfair and one-sided dynamic.
Experts quoted in the article said one-sided care can harm equality and intimacy in a relationship.
- Who
- Men with high alcohol consumption and their partners.
- What
- The study found that their partners do an average of 2.12 additional hours of domestic work.
- When
- Not stated.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- The study examines how alcohol use affects the distribution of unpaid care work.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
What should be a romantic weekend ends up being a day of partying followed by two days of care.
It is extremely difficult to desire someone you have to tell what to do, who does not pay attention to whether you are sad or tired, shows no interest, perhaps drinks too much and becomes more distracted and irritable in their behaviour.
The problem here is not caring, which is a beautiful part of any relationship, but care being one-way and not negotiated.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Extra domestic work
- An average of 2.12 additional hours when a man has high alcohol consumption
- Study title
- A hidden cost of drinking: Alcohol use and gendered inequalities in unpaid care work
- Effect on male partners
- Women’s alcohol consumption has a much smaller impact on the care work their male partners do
- Article publication
- 2026-10-12
Sources
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