Does marriage really have different roles between males and females?

IMHO, a marriage is about having a 50/50 say in decision making. There are lots of decisions to be made - having kids, buying a house, how to raise kids if we have them - and these decisions should be made together. If they agree together that the man is going to work and the woman is going to spend more time at home with the kids, that is acceptable. If they agree on the opposite, that is acceptable. The only wrong way to be married is if one person has all the power in the relationship and makes all the decisions without consulting their partner. That's called abuse.

Grounds should be definitely equal. What you just described is extremely traditionalist and goes right back to the whole feminine mystique era where all women did was work to please their husbands and families. I think relationships that work are a compromise, you both share, you both take turns. You don't have "roles". But then again, my boyfriend is terrible at making beds and doing laundry so I would probably take that role because I couldn't stand him making the beds and mixing colours and not using the delicates bag.. I guess it's just whatever works :) As long as you're not being pressured to do things just because you're a woman, or a man.

Many marriages do have gender roles in order to help each other out. Though it is common that men provide and the woman cook, for example, it certainly does not (and should not) have to be that way. Especially in this generation, gender roles aren't as common as you think. There are a fair amount of stay home dads, where the woman is the provider. As long as one person doesn't feel like they're being taken advantage of, gender roles are meant to help the other out because marriage itself takes work and love. Generally, grounds should be equal with effort from both sides for a healthier relationship. But it varies per marriage, so basically whatever floats that couples' boat that works best for them as a team.