The partner EVERY WOMAN should have

Harriet Walker and her husband are equal when it comes to domestic chores. But why is a ‘doesband’ still so rare?

- HARRIET WALKER

The secret to a happier marriage, more laughter, longer life (probably) and less anxious children? You won’t find it in a self-help book or motivational Instagram post. The answer is sitting next to you on the sofa, or snoring gently as you scroll on your phone. The answer might be out with his pals tonight, but he put the kids down before he went so you could finish up at work.

You’ve heard of the ‘new man’ (cooks) and the ‘hands-on dad’ (changes nappies). You might have praised friends’ partners for being ‘involved’ (plays with his own children). In the early 2000s it was the Gen X ‘house husband’ who facilitated his wife’s giant career by running the show at home, but as a millennial mother of two with a hectic job, I can tell you that none of these are the answer to marital bliss.

What women with children (or those who want them) need to thrive in the age of the two-salary mortgage or sky-high rent, £75-per-day childcare, round-the-clock office emails and parents’ WhatsApp groups is… a doesband. If you are managing without one, you are a hero.

A doesband has his own hectic job, but still does his fair share at home Without Being Asked. A doesband knows where the Calpol is and when a ballet kit is needed and what is about to go off in the fridge.