This study sought to investigate the relationship between masculinity, femininity, and marital satisfaction. A number of polynomial multiple regression analyses were performed in an effort to determine the validity of six theoretical models linking sex roles to marital satisfaction. These are the femininity model, masculinity model, sex-typed model, additive androgynous model, interactive androgynous model, and curvilinear model. The sample was composed of 117 couples who completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (Bem, 1974) and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Spanier, 1976). For men, the results showed that marital satisfaction was related to (a) their self-described levels of femininity and masculinity, (b) the level of self-described femininity of their wives, and (c) the presence of feminine qualities as well as a limited optimal level of masculine qualities which they perceived in their wives. For women, marital satisfaction was associated with (a) the number of self-described feminine qualities and (b) the level of masculinity, as well as an optimal level of femininity, which they perceived in their husbands. Furthermore, small actual-ideal discrepancies in levels of masculinity and femininity ascribed to partners constituted reliable predictors of marital satisfaction for both men and women.

la feminite et l'adaptation conjugale. Cette recherche s'inscrit dans le cadre plus vaste des etudes recentes sur 1'influence des roles sexuels sur le developpement et le maintien de la detresse conjugale. En effet, plusieurs chercheurs ont demontre que les roles sexuels et, plus specifiquement, la feminite constituent de bons predicteurs de la satisfaction conjugale. L'analyse de regression multiple polynomiale est ici utilisee pour determiner la valeur de six modeles conceptuels liant les roles sexuels a la satisfaction conjugale: le modele de feminite, le modele de mascuhnite, le modele des types sexuels, le modele androgyne additif, le modele androgyne interactif et le modele curvilineaire. L'echantillon se compose de 117 couples qui ont complete l'lnventaire des roles Sexuels de Bern (1974) et l'Echelle d'Adjustment Dyadique (Spanier, 1976. Les resultats des analyses correlationnelles demontrent la presence tant chez les hommes que chez les femmes d'une relation significative entre la masculinite, la feminite et l'adaptation conjugale. De plus, l'analyse de regression multiple polynomial incluant les effets principaux (M,F), les effets d'interaction (M x F, M x Sexe, F x Sexe) les effets curvilineaires (M 2 , F 2 ) demontre la valeur du modele androgyne additif liant les roles sexuels et la satisfaction conjugale. Les implications theoriques de ces resultats sont presentees.