Stephen Bouren’s arguments (“Men should not take all blame,” SN 10/18) in response to Jessi Phillips’ recent column (“Women should think twice about marriage,” 10/16) fell short of disproving Phillips’ claims about the division of labor in the average American marriage.

“Loving fathers everywhere” can rest assured that when Phillips states, “Most men do not share equal responsibility when it comes to taking care of their children,” she is not questioning their affections, but rather stating a fact. If you look at the empirical evidence, there is no way to question Phillips’ claim that, on average, men do not share housework and child care equally with their wives. You might want to consult Arlie Hochschild’s “The Second Shift,” and you’ll find a wealth of information if you search the American Journal of Sociology. I think it’s wonderful that your experience proved to be an exception to the sexist norm, but your anecdotal evidence does not disprove her point.

As far as what women should think about marriage and who we should blame for divorce, that’s not for me to say. But let’s not kid ourselves about the facts.

Kathleen Romig
social relations senior