Sharing this one responsibility with your spouse can do wonders for your relationship.

When it comes to household chores, most married couples develop their own unique cadence for getting things done. One spouse owns the cooking and one snags the dishes, one runs to the grocery store and the other drops off the dry-cleaning, or maybe both partners do absolutely everything together—every relationship is different.

But however you get things done, a recent survey in the Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape study shows that sharing household responsibilities is a "very important" part of having a successful marriage (56 percent of married couples in the US believe this to be true). That means that, according to the survey, fairly dividing up who does what around the house ranks as the third most important factor in keeping a marriage strong, right behind sharing common interests and enjoying a satisfying sex life.

Let's be honest, married couples don't always end up divvying up domestic tasks perfectly evenly—it's hard to maintain a steady routine (thanks, life!)—but that's what marriage is all about: compromise, chipping in and doing unexpected favors for your spouse. But if it suddenly feels like one of you is picking up all the slack and the other is taking it for granted, go ahead say something. It's important to keep the not-so-fun chores balanced between you—it'll be worth it in the long run.

If you're looking for more ways to build a healthier relationship, check out Lasting. The science-based app backed by The Knot gets to know your relationship and then creates a customized program just for you and your significant to help you to shape a better marriage or relationship.

