No Fun Anymore: Leisure and Marital Quality Across the Transition to Parenthood

Abstract

This study examines changes in leisure patterns across the transition to parenthood for dual-earner, working-class couples, as well as the relationship between leisure and marital quality. To this end, 147 heterosexual couples were interviewed across the transition to parenthood. Findings indicate that during the transition to parenthood, husbands and wives experience an initial decline in leisure, followed by a gradual incline after the wife's return to work. Overall, wives who reported more shared leisure prenatally also reported more marital love and less conflict 1 year later. Husbands with more independent leisure prenatally reported less love and more conflict 1 year later. Conclusions suggest leisure time is integral to well-functioning marriages, with effects lasting throughout the first year of parenthood.

Gay Men Who Become Fathers via Surrogacy: The Transition to Parenthood

“…The literature on the transition to parenthood has mostly focused on heterosexual parents and has addressed changes along dimensions ranging from division of labor to marital satisfaction (see Claxton & Perry-Jenkins, 2008;Cowan & Cowan, 1992). A few studies have explored the transition to parenthood for gay and lesbian parents with a majority of these focusing on lesbian mothers because of their greater prevalence (Erera, 2002).…”

Time for Each Other: Work and Family Constraints Among Couples

“…The literature consistently shows that parents spend less time with one another in leisure—and more generally—than nonparents (Barnet-Verzat et al, 2010; Dew, 2009; Glorieux et al, 2011; Hill, 1988; Mansour & McKinnish, 2014; Voorpostel et al, 2009). The transition to parenthood initially reduces leisure shared with a spouse (Claxton & Perry-Jenkins, 2008) as couples’ shared time shifts from leisure as a couple to leisure as a family (Huston & Vangelisti, 1995) and to more instrumental tasks following the birth of a child (Clements & Markman, 1996; Huston, McHale, & Crouter, 1986). This research indicates that the nature of parents’ shared time is different than that of nonparents, suggesting the importance of examining couples’ shared time more broadly as opposed to leisure specifically.…”

“…Indeed, studies suggest that time with a spouse may be sacrificed to manage work and parenting demands (Bianchi, Robinson, & Milkie, 2006; Claxton & Perry-Jenkins, 2008; White 1983; Wight, Raley, & Bianchi, 2008). Paid workers have reported that time with a spouse is limited, which affects their marital relationships (Bianchi et al, 2006; Nomaguchi, Milkie, & Bianchi, 2005; Roxburgh, 2006).…”

Relationship satisfaction of European binational couples in the Netherlands

“…An abundant body of research concluded that the presence of children at home reduces relationship/marital happiness and satisfaction (Brown & Booth, 1996;Brown, Sanchez, Nock, & Wright, 2006;Dew & Wilcox, 2011;Doss, Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2009;Glenn & McLanahan, 1982;Lawrence, Rothman, Cobb, Rothman, & Bradbury, 2008;Mitnick, Heyman, & Smith Slep, 2009;Sinning & Worner, 2010;Tai et al, 2014;Wendorf, Lucas, Imamoğlu, Weisfeld, & Weisfeld, 2011;Wiik et al, 2009). This reduction in relationship satisfaction has been attributed to the redistribution of roles and responsibilities in the household that follows the birth of a child (Claxton & Perry-Jenkins, 2008;Dew & Wilcox, 2011). This seems to be especially true for women engaged in full-time employment, who report lower levels of wellbeing compared to working fathers (Nomaguchi, Milkie, & Bianchi, 2005).…”