Working Hard and Hardly Working: Domestic Labor and Marital Satisfaction Among Dual‐Earner Couples

Abstract

This article examines the effect of domestic labor, gender ideology, work status, and economic dependency on marital satisfaction using data obtained from self-administered questionnaires for 156 dual-earner couples. Analytic distinctions were drawn among three aspects of domestic labor: household tasks, emotion work, and status enhancement. The effects of each of these elements of the division of domestic labor on marital satisfaction were tested. We also tested the effects of a respondent's satisfaction with the couple's division of domestic labor on marital satisfaction. Finally, we tested the effects of gender ideology, hours spent in paid work each week, and economic dependency on marital satisfaction. For women, satisfaction with the division of household tasks and emotion work and their contributions to household and status-enhancement tasks were the most significant predictors of marital satisfaction. Satisfaction with the division of labor around both emotion work and housework were significant predictors for men's marital satisfaction. Partner's status-enhancement work was also predictive for men. Economic dependency, paid work hours, gender ideology, partner's hours spent on housework, contributions to emotion work, and number of children and preschool-age children had only indirect effects on women's marital sat-

The Division of Child Care, Sexual Intimacy, and Relationship Quality in Couples

“…Such feelings of inequity and dissatisfaction are especially likely among working wives who retain responsibility for housework (Frisco and Williams 2003;Stevens, Kiger, and Riley 2001). In her 2004 study, Rogers demonstrated that sharing breadwinning responsibilities lowered married partners' dependency on one another and therefore increased the probability of marital dissolution -a finding consistent with a new home economics argument that role complementarity strengthens marriages (Becker 1981).…”

Gender Differences in Precarious Work Settings

“…Although working men are more likely to be married, women commit more time to their relationship compared to their partners (Stevens, Kiger, and Riley, 2001). Similarly, women generally spend more time than men on childcare and household chores (Bianchi, Robinson, and Milkie, 2006).…”

Untitled

“…It is possible that there are other explanations for wives' higher stress or lower marital satisfaction, rather than it being the direct result of being in a dualincome couple. For example, the presence or absence of children has a demonstrated effect on marital satisfaction (Meier et al, 2006;Stevens et al, 2001;Twenge, Campbell, & Foster, 2003). As we did not account for this factor in our survey, it could have had an unseen effect on our results.…”

“…Women's marital satisfaction is impacted by the perceived equity in labor division, perceived empathy from their husbands, and the opinions that each spouse holds on the wife's employment status and involvement in household activities (Meier et al, 2006;Stevens, Kiger, & Riley, 2001;Wilkie et al, 1998). If women hold traditional beliefs about their responsibilities in the family, their marital satisfaction tends to increase from their greater number of household duties but decrease from the duties they have to their employ ment.…”

“…When husbands and wives were able to share vocational and household responsibilities more equally, women were more satisfied with their marriages. Wives tend to have more of a preference for egalitarian roles than their husbands (Fowers, 1991;Stevens et al, 2001). The only aspect of gender role beliefs that influenced men's marital satisfaction was their preference concerning labor division in the household (Wilkie et al, 1998).…”