A Longitudinal Examination of Women's Perceptions of Marital Power and Marital Happiness in Midlife Marriages

Abstract

An unequal distribution of marital power has shown to have an impact on overall marital functioning, including marital quality and marital satisfaction. Women tend to have less power in marital relationships. Therefore, it is important for both researchers and clinicians to examine wives' perceptions of marital power and marital happiness. The current study examined wives' perceptions of marital power processes and power outcomes in heterosexual midlife marriages in relation to concurrent and subsequent marital happiness across a 15-year period. The results indicated that both marital power processes and power outcomes significantly influenced concurrent marital happiness. Additionally, concurrent marital happiness influenced marital happiness 15 years later, suggesting an indirect relationship between concurrent marital power and subsequent marital happiness. No direct relationship was found between marital power and subsequent marital happiness. The lack of significant findings between marital power and subsequent marital happiness is examined. Immediate and subsequent marital benefits of egalitarian marriages are discussed, and suggestions for effective clinical practice in addressing marital power are given.

Towards gender awareness in couple therapy and in treatment of intimate partner violence

“…However, the cultural discourses surrounding couple relationships continue to be gendered and involve hierarchic power dynamics (Fishbane, 2011;Knudson-Martin, Huenergardt, Lafontant, Bishop, Schaepper, & Wells, 2015;Ward & Knudson-Martin, 2012). Hence, even if equality is an ideal for couples, and it has been connected to relationship satisfaction (Whisman & Jacobson, 1990), greater marital happiness (LeBaron, Miller, & Yorgason, 2014) and wellbeing (Knudson-Martin, 2013), ways of realizing this ideal in every-day life are not properly supported. Instead, the old, traditional ways and gender roles may continue to govern how people understand themselves and build up their relationships (Knudson-Martin, 2013;Knudson-Martin & Huenergardt, 2010;Sinclair & Monk, 2004).…”

Marital Distress in Missionaries as Measured by the MMPI-2-RF Interpersonal Scales

“…(Lu, 1952) concluded that egalitarian marriages were correlated with more positive adjustment and that couples in which either spouse reported feeling dominated was associated with poor marital adjustment. LeBaron et al (2014) indicated that wives were more likely to experience marital happiness when they reported having more equality in the couple relationship. Blum (1995) found that wives who had both unpleasant and submissive temperaments had less marital satisfaction.…”

Longitudinal influence of shared marital power on marital quality and attachment security.

“…Marital power. For this study, the Marital Power Index was used, which asks respondents to report on her or his perception of their partner's displays of power in the relationship (Bogue, Miller, & Day, 2008;LeBaron et al, 2014;Oka et al, 2016). Items were coded as a continuum from one partner perceiving the other partner to have greater influence than oneself in the relationship (lower scores) to one partner perceiving the relationship to have more of a shared power (higher scores).…”

“…Based on a variety of social cues and hierarchies, we consciously and unconsciously assess our level of power in relation to those around us, engaging in a reciprocal process of external perception and internal regulation (Keltner et al, 2003). Some researchers have focused on power’s social influence on broad dyadic interactions (e.g., Moreland & Levine, 1989), with a growing body of work assessing perceived power specifically within marriage relationships (e.g., Byrne, Carr, & Clark, 2004; LeBaron, Miller, & Yorgason, 2014). Reporting a power discrepancy in marriage (in these cases, perceiving a partner to have more control or influence in the relationship) has been connected to salient outcomes such as lower marital quality (LeBaron et al, 2014) and higher attachment insecurity (Oka, Brown, & Miller, 2016).…”