Most wives clean because their idea of "clean" and their husband's idea of "clean" are miles apart, and they cannot stand to live in what they consider filthy conditions. In 52 years of my marriage, there have been countless times when my wife went on a cleaning binge to clean something that I thought was clean enough.
Most wives who cook do so because they do it better, quicker, and with less mess than occurs when their husbands do it. I have the impression that after the Boomers, fewer and fewer wives are "into" cooking, and a bunch of alternative strategies have developed to get food done...eating out, having food delivered, packaged food that only needs a few minutes in the oven or microwave.
