Examines female and male sex-role orientation with emphasis on the structural and attitudinal predictors of sex-role ideology. Findings show sex-role orientation based on nontraditional wife-mother, husband-father and problematic husband-wife alterations roles elicted a significantly more modern response from females as compared to males. (Author)

Reviews research both supportive and skeptical of theories (based upon status competition processes, status incompatibility, complementary needs, and threat to gender identity) which posit that stress is created in marriages where the wife's occupational achievements exceed the husband's. Posits a theory explaining which couples will succeed in…

Examined the aspirations of adolescent women for combining marriage, motherhood, and employment, and the aspiratons of adolescent males for their future wives' roles (N=948). Path models suggested that, for both males and females, sex-role variables are the most important predictors, but background, significant other, and achievement also are…

Tested causal models predicting unmarried adolescent pregnancy using data from 2,158 young adults. Among the males, having a girlfriend become pregnant is associated with school difficulties, low parental socioeconomic status, and high popularity. Among females, pregnancy risk is related to race, low socioeconomic status, father absence, number of…

Investigated interrelationships between perceived causes of divorce in a sample of 275 males and 336 females. Seven dimensions of divorce, underlying 18 possible contributing causes, were revealed. Significant differences were found between the sexes both in frequencies with which causes were identified and in composition of the seven factors.…

Evaluated the effect of previous marital history, particularly the husband's marriage order, on the stability of first and second marriages of White and Black women. The most important predictor of the instability of first marriages of women are the previous divorces of husbands. (Author)

Presents a model of extramarital sexual permissiveness, focusing on several aspects of the marital dyad and dyadic independence. While autonomy of heterosexual interaction, the comparison level of alternatives, and marital satisfaction each play some role in accounting for permissive attitudes, the strongest predictor is the diffuseness of…

Examined variables affecting life satisfaction in three categories of married women: those who are presently, formerly, and never employed. Results revealed that, while there are little differences among the three categories in overall life satisfaction, there are significant differences in the variables that influence life satisfaction for each…

Tested Kohn's theory that people who work in highly supervised, routinized occupations are likely to value obedience and conformity in marital and parental relationships. Findings from 244 couples revealed that working conditions were not strong predictors of division of household labor. Concludes that nontraditional gender role values,…

Contrasted communicator styles used within the marital relationship to styles used in general situations. Found that styles used in the relationship were different from those used in general. Also found attributes of a good communicator were affected by the relational aspect. (Author/RC)

Explores the effectiveness of a resource exchange framework in predicting marital satisfaction among 224 couples. Self-administered questionnaires provided information concerning resources received from spouse, shared time, and marital quality. Multiple regression analyses suggested the resource exchange theory was effective in explaining the…

Examined subjective and objective characteristics of employment in relation to depression in 135 two-job families. Results showed employment characteristics of each spouse had little effect on the other. Subjective factors were more predictive of life satisfaction, and social comparisons resulting in unfavorable assessment of outcomes were related…

Conducted a longitudinal analysis of the relationship of divorce to the national suicide rate in Canada. Found the suicide rate varied directly with the rate of family dissolution, even after taking into account the effects of unemployment and females' participation in the labor force. (Author/ABB)

Investigated the causes of happiness and unhappiness among spouses. Results indicated while marital happiness is the most important determinant of overall happiness, job satisfaction is the most important determinant of unhappiness. (Author/BL)

Examined relationships between perceptions of marital communication and the choice of male or female sterilization in 313 couples. The wife's perception of marital communication was negatively related to the tendency for the couple to choose female sterilization, conditional on female labor force participation. Communication questions are…