Relationship Stats

MrMan5.5 and I were discussing who would cook once we moved out. I thought we were doing to take turns, but MrMan5.5 said I should cook because he thinks I'm the better cook (I think I'm better at making desserts, but he is the better cook). So assuming I am the better cook, is it logical for me to do all of the cooking? Since he's currently studying for his microeconomics exam, he explained it in terms of commerce terms.

So the private marginal cost to me would be that I would have to cook. The social marginal cost would just be private cost, as the cost to me is that I would have to cook, and the cost to MrMan5.5 is nothing, so overall, the cost between us is my having to cook. The same would apply if MrMan5.5 would cook, as you would then have the cost to me being nothing, the cost to him being having to cook, and the overall cost is him having to cook.

Where it differs is in the social marginal benefit. He says that if he were to cook, we would both have the benefit of not being hungry (as we will have something to eat). The same would be true if I were to cook, but we would also have the benefit of being able to eat something tasty, so there is an increased benefit if I were to cook. Therefore, it makes more sense for me to cook, as the social marginal cost is the same either way, but if I were to cook, there would be an increased social marginal benefit.

That's all well and good, from an economical point of view. So what happens when one person in the relationship is much better qualified than the other in all other kinds of housekeeping things? Are they then expected to take over all of those tasks, as it is logical for them to do so? That kind of thinking is probably what results in people who have no idea how to take care of themselves when the move out.

Still, that's OK, because all you need to do is snag someone who is able to make up for all of your shortcomings, right? Just keep in mind, that the next time you want to start an argument, the very first reply you're going to get is, "I do all the cooking/cleaning/etc." and then they're going to storm off in a huff and that will be the end of the argument. I think in this case, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If you end up taking on too many things, then the private cost to yourself will start to include stress, and so the social marginal cost will start to increase faster as there is an increasing amount of stress as you add more and more tasks. So it would be better to share the load.