Skip to main content

The Role of Couple Discrepancies in Cognitive and Behavioral Egalitarianism in Marital Quality

Sex Roles volume 70, pages 329–342 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Although gender ideologies and perceptions of equity in the division of household tasks have been associated with marital quality, there is limited understanding of the relationship between discrepancies (in husbands’ and wives’ subjective ideals and accounts of the division of labor) and relationship quality. We examined cognitive egalitarianism (beliefs about gender roles), behavioral egalitarianism (perceptions of the division of household tasks and management), and marital quality among 220 heterosexual, newlywed couples (N = 440) living in east and central regions of the United States. We used multi-level modeling to examine associations between cognitive egalitarianism, behavioral egalitarianism, and marital quality with a specific focus on discrepancies in the reports of husbands and wives. As hypothesized, both husbands and wives had lower marital quality when their cognitive egalitarianism was discrepant from their partner, and such a discrepancy had a greater influence on wives’ reports of marital quality, especially for wives with higher cognitive egalitarianism. Although we expected similar results for the associations between behavioral egalitarianism and marital quality, we found that the strength of the association between wives’ behavioral egalitarianism and marital quality decreased as the discrepancy from their husbands’ behavioral egalitarianism increased. The association between cognitive egalitarianism and marital quality also increased as behavioral egalitarianism increased for wives but not for husbands. The results of this study illustrate the central role of spousal discrepancy in perceptions and enactment of household labor.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

References

  • Acitelli, L. K. (1992). Gender differences in relationship awareness and marital satisfaction among young married couples. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 102–110. doi:10.1177/0146167292181015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, S. M., & Hawkins, A. J. (1999). Maternal gatekeeping: Mothers’ beliefs and behaviors that inhibit greater father involvement in family work. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 199–212. doi:10.2307/353894.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Artis, J. E., & Pavalko, E. K. (2003). Explaining the decline in women’s household labor: Individual change and cohort differences. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 746–761. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00746.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bahr, C., Chappell, B., & Leigh, G. K. (1983). Age at marriage, role enactment, role consensus, and marital satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 795–803. doi:10.2307/351792.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ball, F. L. J., Cowan, P., & Cowan, C. P. (1995). Who’s got the power? Gender differences in partners’ perceptions of influence during marital problem-solving discussions. Family Issues, 34, 301–321. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1995.00303.x.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartley, S. J., Blanton, P. W., & Gilliard, J. L. (2005). Husbands and wives in dual-earner marriages: Decision-making, gender role attitudes, division of household labor, and equity. Marriage & Family Review, 37, 69–94. doi:10.1300/J002v37n04_05.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beere, C. A., King, D. W., Beere, D. B., & King, L. A. (1984). The Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale: A measure of attitudes toward equality between the sexes. Sex Roles, 10, 563–576. doi:10.1007/BF00287265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernard, J. S. (1981). The good provider role: Its rise and fall. American Psychologist, 36, 1–12. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.36.1.1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi, S. M., Milkie, M. A., Sayer, L. C., & Robinson, J. P. (2000). Is anyone doing the housework? Trends in the gender division of household labor. Social Forces, 79, 191–228. doi:10.2307/2675569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blair, S. L., & Johnson, M. P. (1992). Wives’ perceptions of the fairness of the division of household labor: The intersection of housework and ideology. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 570–581. doi:10.2307/353243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bolzendahl, C. I., & Myers, D. J. (2004). Feminist attitudes and support for gender equality: Opinion change in women and men, 1974–1998. Social Forces, 83, 759–789. doi:10.1353/sof.2005.0005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, C., & Bolzendahl, C. (2004). The transformation of US gender role attitudes: Cohort replacement, social-structural change, and ideological learning. Social Science Research, 33, 106–133. doi:10.1016/S0049-089X(03)00041-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Claffey, S. T., & Manning, K. R. (2010). Equity but not equality: Commentary on Lachance-Grzela and Bouchard. Sex Roles, 63, 781–785. doi:10.1007/s11199-010-9848-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coltrane, S. (2000). Research on household labor: Modeling and measuring the social embeddedness of routine family work. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 1208–1233. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.01208.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, M. (2001). Parental influences on the gendered division of housework. American Sociological Review, 66, 184–203. doi:10.2307/2657414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, S., & Greenstein, T. (2004). Cross-national variations in the division of labor. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 1260–1271. doi:10.1111/j.0022-2445.2004.00091.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeMaris, A. (2007). The role of relationship inequity in marital disruption. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 177–195. doi:10.1177/0265407507075409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elloy, D. F., & Smith, C. R. (2003). Patterns of stress, work-family conflict, role conflict, role ambiguity and overload among dual-career and single-career couples: An Australian study. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 10, 55–66. doi:10.1108/13527600310797531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, R. J. (2005). Why emotion work matters: Sex, gender, and the division of household labor. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 337–351. doi:10.1111/j.0022-2445.2005.00120.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan, P., & Marini, M. M. (2000). Influences on gender-role attitudes during the transition to adulthood. Social Science Research, 29, 258–283. doi:10.1006/ssre.1999.0669.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferree, M. M. (1987). The struggles of superwoman. In C. Bose, R. Feldberg, & N. Sokoloff (Eds.), Hidden aspects of women’s work (pp. 161–180). New York: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferree, M. M. (1990). Beyond separate spheres: Feminism and family research. Journal of Marriage and Family, 52, 866–884. doi:10.2307/353307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frisco, M., & Williams, K. (2003). Perceived housework equity, marital happiness, and divorce in dual-earner households. Journal of Family Issues, 24, 51–73. doi:10.1177/0192513X02238520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galinsky, E., Aumann, K., & Bond, J. T. (2011). Times are changing: Gender and generation at work and home. New York: Families and Work Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, A. E., & Perry-Jenkins, M. (2004). Division of labor and working-class women’s well-being across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 225. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.18.1.225.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greenstein, T. N. (1996a). Husbands’ participation in domestic labor: Interactive effects of wives’ and husbands’ gender ideologies. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 585–596. doi:10.2307/353719.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenstein, T. N. (1996b). Gender ideology and perceptions of fairness of the division of household labor: Effects on marital quality. Social Forces, 74, 1029–1042. doi:10.1093/sf/74.3.1029.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenstein, T. N. (2009). National context, family satisfaction, and fairness in the division of household labor. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 1039–1051. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00651.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hackel, L. S., & Ruble, D. N. (1992). Changes in the marital relationship after the first baby is born: Predicting the impact of expectancy disconfirmation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 944–957. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.62.6.944.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Helms-Erikson, H. (2001). Marital quality ten years after the transition to parenthood: Implications of the timing of parenthood and the division of housework. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63, 1099–1110. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2001.01099.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hochschild, A. R., & Machung, A. (2003). The second shift. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huston, T. L. (1994). Courtship antecedents of marital satisfaction and love. In R. Erber & R. Gilmore (Eds.), Theoretical framework for personal relationships (pp. 43–65). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huston, T. L., Caughlin, J. P., Houts, R. M., Smith, S. E., & George, L. J. (2001). The Connubial Crucible: Newlywed years as predictors of marital delight, distress, and divorce. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 237–252. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.80.2.237.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. D., & Bradbury, T. N. (1999). Topographical assessment of marital interaction and longitudinal change in newlywed marriage. Personal Relationships, 6, 19–40. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.1999.tb00209.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1995). The longitudinal course of marital quality and stability: A review of theory, methods, and research. Psychological Bulletin, 118, 3–34. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.118.1.3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karney, B. R., Davila, J., Cohan, C. L., Sullivan, K. T., Johnson, M. D., & Bradbury, T. N. (1995). An empirical investigation of sampling strategies in marital research. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 909–920. doi:10.2307/353411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kenny, D. A., Kashy, D. A., & Cook, W. L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klumb, P., Hoppmann, C., & Staats, M. (2006). Division of labor in German dual-earner families: Testing equity theoretical hypotheses. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68, 870–882. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2006.00301.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kluwer, E. A., Heesink, J. A. M., & Van de Vliert, E. (1997). The marital dynamics of conflict over the division of labor. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59, 635–653. doi:10.2307/353951.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lachance-Grzela, M., & Bouchard, G. (2010). Why do women do the lion’s share of housework? A decade of research. Sex Roles, 63, 767–780. doi:10.1007/s11199-010-9797-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lavee, Y., & Katz, R. (2002). Division of labor, perceived fairness, and marital quality: The effect of gender ideology. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 27–39. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2002.00027.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lively, K., Stellman, L. C., & Powell, B. (2010). Equity, emotion, and household division of labor. Social Psychology Quarterly, 73, 358–379. doi:10.1177/0190272510389012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McHale, S. M., & Crouter, A. G. (1992). You can’t always get what you want: Incongruence between sex role attitudes and family work roles and its implications for marriage. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 537–547. doi:10.2307/353240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mederer, H. J. (1993). Division of labor in two-earner homes: Task accomplishment versus household management as critical variables in perceptions about family work. Journal of Marriage and Family, 55, 133–145. doi:10.2307/352964.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Center for Education Statistics. (2002). Nontraditional undergraduates. Retrieved from the Institute of Education Sciences: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/analysis/2002a-index.asp

  • Neff, L. A., & Karney, B. R. (2005). To know you is to love you: The implications of global adoration and specific accuracy for marital relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 480–497. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.88.3.480.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Norton, R. (1983). Measuring marital quality: A critical look at the dependent variable. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 141–151. doi:10.2307/351302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, C. J. (1995). Families of the baby boom: Parents’ division of labor and children’s adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 31, 115–123. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.31.1.115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peplau, L. A. (1983). Roles and gender. In H. H. Kelley, E. Berscheid, A. Christensen, J. H. Harvey, T. L. Houston, G. Levinger, E. McClintock, L. A. Peplau, & D. R. Peterson (Eds.), Close relationships (pp. 220–264). New York: WH Freeman and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry-Jenkins, M., & Crouter, A. C. (1990). Men’s provider-role attitudes: Implications for housework and marital satisfaction. Journal of Family Issues, 11, 136–156. doi:10.1177/019251390011002002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry-Jenkins, M., & Folk, K. (1994). Class, couples, and conflict: Effects of the division of labor on assessments of marriage in dual-earner families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 56, 165–180. doi:10.2307/352711.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piña, D. L., & Bengtson, V. L. (1993). The division of household labor and wives’ happiness: Ideology, employment, and perceptions of support. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 901–912. doi:10.2307/352771.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raudenbush, S. W., & Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raudenbush, S. W., Brennan, R. T., & Barnett, R. C. (1995). A multivariate hierarchical model for studying psychological change within married couples. Journal of Family Psychology, 9, 161–174. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.9.2.161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, S. J., & Amato, P. R. (2000). Have changes in gender relations affected marital quality? Social Forces, 79, 731–753. doi:10.1093/sf/79.2.731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, S. M. (1988). Gender differences in the definition and perception of household labor. Family Relations, 37, 333–337. doi:10.2307/584572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • South, S. (1995). Do you need to shop around? Age at marriage, spousal alternatives, and marital dissolution. Journal of Family Issues, 16, 432–449. doi:10.1177/019251395016004002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steil, J. (1997). Marital equality: Its relationship to the well-being of husbands and wives. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, D., Kiger, G., & Riley, P. J. (2001). Working hard and hardly working: Domestic labor and marital satisfaction among dual-earner couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63, 514–526. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2001.00514.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stohs, J. H. (2000). Multicultural women’s experience of household labor, conflicts, and equity. Sex Roles, 42, 339–361. doi:10.1023/A:1007094120408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suitor, J. J. (1991). Marital quality and satisfaction with the division of household labor across the family life cycle. Journal of Marriage and Family, 53, 221–230. doi:10.2307/353146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, O. (2013). What do we learn about gender by analyzing housework separately from child care? Some considerations from the time-use evidence. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 5, 72–84. doi:10.1111/jftr.12007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, A., Alwin, D. F., & Camburn, D. (1983). Causes and consequences of sex-role attitudes and attitude change. American Sociological Review, 48, 211–227. doi:10.2307/2095106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M., Campbell, W. K., & Foster, C. A. (2003). Parenthood and marital satisfaction: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 574–583. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00574.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Usdansky, M. L. (2011). The gender‐equality paradox: Class and incongruity between work‐family attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 3, 163–178. doi:10.1111/j.1756-2589.2011.00094.x.

    Google Scholar 

  • Utne, M. K., Hatfield, E., Traupmann, J., & Greenberger, D. (1984). Equity, marital satisfaction, and stability. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 1, 323–332. doi:10.1177/0265407584013005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Yperen, N. W., & Buunk, A. P. (1990). A longitudinal study of equity and satisfaction in intimate relationships. European Journal of Social Psychology, 20, 287–309. doi:10.1002/ejsp.2420200403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voydanoff, P., & Donnelly, B. W. (1999). The intersection of time in activities and perceived unfairness in relation to psychological distress and marital quality. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 739–751. doi:10.2307/353574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West, C., & Zimmerman, D. (1987). Doing gender. Gender and Society, 1, 125–151. doi:10.1177/0891243287001002002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, T. S. (2003). Intimate partnership: Foundation to the successful balance of family and work. American Journal of Family Therapy, 31, 107–124. doi:10.1080/01926180301126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a USDA/NIFA HATCH grant (Grant # ILLU-793-356) to the first author.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007 Christopher Hall, MC-081, 904 West Nevada Street, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Brian G. Ogolsky & James Kale Monk

  2. St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Lexington Park, MD, USA

    Renée Peltz Dennison

Authors
  1. Brian G. Ogolsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Renée Peltz Dennison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James Kale Monk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian G. Ogolsky.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 5 Household task and family management scale
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ogolsky, B.G., Dennison, R.P. & Monk, J.K. The Role of Couple Discrepancies in Cognitive and Behavioral Egalitarianism in Marital Quality. Sex Roles 70, 329–342 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-014-0365-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-014-0365-9

Keywords

  • Equity
  • Egalitarianism
  • Marital quality
  • Newlyweds
  • Couple discrepancy
  • Household labor