Expectation and Evaluation of Spouse’s Filial Piety and Marital Satisfaction in China

Abstract

The present study examined the effect of expectation and evaluation of spouse’s filial piety on marital satisfaction among young Chinese couples. We administered scales assessing gender role attitude, marital satisfaction, and expectation and evaluation of spouse’s filial piety on 422 married participants and explored the relationships among these variables. The results showed the following: (1) gender role attitude mediated the relationship between participants’ gender and evaluation of their spouse’s filial piety. There was no significant gender difference in the evaluation of spouse’s filial piety; however, men were more likely to have a traditional gender role attitude, and a traditional gender role attitude leads to lower evaluation of spouse’s filial piety. Furthermore, it was found that the wife’s sibling condition influenced the participants’ expectation and evaluation of spouse’s filial piety as compared to the husband’s; (2) the evaluation of spouse’s filial piety was significantly positively correlated with marital satisfaction; and (3) women’s expectations of their husband’s filial piety moderated this relationship. The positive effects of the evaluation of spouse’s filial piety on marital satisfaction were significantly stronger when they had high expectations in this regard.

Intergenerational relationships and marriage in China: Within‐family longitudinal associations and between‐family differences

“…Husbands who reported higher levels of filial obligations also experienced higher relationship quality with parents than those who reported lower levels of filial obligations. Besides, wives reporting higher levels of filial obligations experienced higher marital quality than those who reported lower levels of filial obligations, which is in line with the historically salient roles of wives' filial obligations in maintaining marriage (Gui, 2021).…”

“…Wives in traditional China are therefore expected to pay filial obligations to their husbands' (versus their own) parents (Qi, 2015). Wives shoulder the responsibility to persuade husbands to be affectionate and dutiful toward husbands' parents (Qi, 2015) and their filial obligations play such salient roles in traditional Chinese marriage that wives can be divorced for failing to enact filial obligations (Gui, 2021). Yet, husbands are only expected to pay filial obligations to their own parents (Qi, 2015).…”

“…Thus, it is plausible that higher levels of husbands' filial obligations should now relate to husbands' higher in-law relationship quality. Meanwhile, wives in modern China expect husbands to express filial obligations to wives' own parents, and wives reported low marital quality when husbands failed to do so (Gui, 2021) Taken collectively, wives' relationships with parents and husbands' relationships with parents-in-law now require more attention and maintenance efforts from Chinese couples. Husbands' and wives' filial obligations should predict between-family differences in not only their own but also the other's intergenerational relationship quality and marital quality.…”

Swapping Gender Traditionalism: Christianity, Buddhism, and Gender Ideology in South Korea

“…The Confucian patriarchal system valuing sons and excluding daughters in the patrilineal family has placed the primary responsibility for filial piety on sons and daughters‐in‐law (Chappell and Kusch 2007; Kang 2004). The stronger support for filial piety is thus gendered and closely associated with Confucian patriarchal attitudes (Gui 2021).…”

“…The first dependent variable, Confucian patriarchal ideology, was constructed with survey items that asked respondents to express their attitudes toward the father's absolute authority, son preference to continue the paternal lineage, and filial piety. The notion of filial piety, although it may not seem directly relevant as a gender attitude, has a deeply gendered nature in the East Asian contexts (Chappell and Kusch 2007; Gui 2021; Oh, Ardelt, and Koropeckyj‐Cox 2017; Zhan and Montgomery 2003). Filial piety encompasses a broad range of behaviors, including children's respect and care for elderly family members (Chappell and Kusch 2007; Oh, Ardelt, and Koropeckyj‐Cox 2017; Zhan and Montgomery 2003).…”