Male-female relationships seem to be strained in regularized ways that we recognize and expect. In this article, Chodorow argues that this is not accidental. We must understand these facts as part of the routine process of family reproduction.
Sexual repression is a key element in socialization in the bourgeois family.
For women this repression is absolute, men occasionally are allowed a double standard that allows premarital sex. So, when a girl finally falls in love, she is not ready and confused. She does not enjoy sex and therefore does not care much about the resulting children. By the time she matures and is able to love and desire her husband, he no longer cares for her or their marriage. She redirects her attention to her children.