The marital dynamics of conflict over the division of labor

Journal of Marriage and Family

Volumn 59, Issue 3, 1997, Pages 635-653

  Kluwer, Esther S ^a   Heesink, José A M ^a   Van De Vliert, Evert ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN   (Netherlands)

Author keywords

Conflict avoidance; Conflict outcomes; Division of labor; Gender role ideology; Interaction patterns; Marital conflict

Indexed keywords

EID: 0040832707     PISSN: 00222445     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2307/353951     Document Type: Article

References (117)

1. Acitelli, L. K., & Antonucci, T. C. (1994). Gender differences in the link between marital support and satisfaction in older couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 688-698.
2. Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
3. Avioli, P. S., & Kaplan, E. (1992). A panel study of married women's work patterns. Sex Roles, 26, 227-242.
4. Bach, G. R., & Wyden, P. (1970). The intimate enemy: How to fair fight in love and marriage. New York: Avon Books.
5. Bahr, S. J., Chappell, B. C., & Leigh, G. K. (1983). Age at marriage, role enactment, role consensus, and marital satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 795-803.
6. Barnett, R. C., & Baruch, G. K. (1987). Determinants of fathers' participation in family work. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 49, 29-40.
7. Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182.
8. Baruch, G. K., & Barnett, R. C. (1981). Fathers' participation in the care of their preschool children. Sex Roles, 7, 1043-1055.
9. Baruch, G. K., & Barnett, R. C. (1986). Consequences of fathers' participation in family work: Parent's role strain and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 983-992.
10. Belsky, J., & Volling, B. L. (1987). Mothering, fathering, and marital interaction in the family triad during infancy: Exploring the family system's processes. In P. W. Berman & F. A. Pedersen (Eds.), Men's transitions to parenthood: Longitudinal studies of early family experience (pp. 37-63). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
11. Benin, M. H., & Agostinelli, J. (1988). Husbands' and wives' satisfaction with the division of labor. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 349-361.
12. Berheide, C. W. (1984). Women's work in the home: Seems like old times. In B. B. Hess & M. B. Sussman (Eds.), Women in the family: Two decades of change (pp. 37-55). New York: Haworth Press.
13. Biernat, M., & Wortman, C. B. (1991). Sharing home responsibilities between professionally employed women and their husbands. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 844-860.
14. Blair, S. L. (1993). Employment, family, and perceptions of marital quality among husbands and wives. Journal of Family Issues, 14, 189-212.
15. Blood, R. O., & Wolfe, D. M. (1960). Husbands and wives. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
16. Booth, A., Johnson, D. R., White, L., & Edwards, J. N. (1984). Women, outside employment, and marital instability. American Journal of Sociology, 90, 567-583.
17. Buss, D. M. (1989). Conflict between the sexes: Strategic interference and the evocation of anger and upset. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 735-747.
18. Buunk, B. P., Kluwer, E. S., Schuurman, M. K., & Siero, F. W. (1997). The division of labor among egalitarian and conventional women: Differences in discontent, social comparison, and false consensus. Manuscript submitted for publication.
19. Buunk, B. P., & VanYperen, N. W. (1989). Social comparison, equality, and relationship satisfaction: Gender differences over a ten-year period. Social Justice Research, 3, 157-180.
20. Chodorow, N. (1978). The reproduction of mothering: Psychoanalysis and the sociology of gender. Berkeley: University of California Press.
21. Christensen, A. (1987). Detection of conflict patterns in couples. In K. Hahlweg & M. J. Goldstein (Eds.), Understanding major mental disorder: The contribution of family interaction research (pp. 250-265). New York: Family Process Press.
22. Christensen, A. (1988). Dysfunctional interaction patterns in couples. In P. Noller & M. A. Fitzpatrick (Eds.), Perspectives on marital interaction (pp. 31-52). Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters.
23. Christensen, A., & Heavey, C. L. (1990). Gender and social structure in the demand/withdraw pattern of marital conflict. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 73-81.
24. Christensen, A., & Heavey, C. L. (1993). Gender differences in marital conflict: The demand/withdraw interaction pattern. In S. Oskamp & M. Constanze (Eds.), Gender issues in contemporary society (pp. 113-141). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
25. Christensen, A., & Pasch, L. (1993). The sequence of marital conflict: An analysis of seven phases of marital conflict in distressed and nondistressed couples. Clinical Psychology Review, 13, 3-14.
26. Christensen, A., & Schenk, J. L. (1991). Communication, conflict, and psychological distance in nondistressed, clinic, and divorcing couples. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 458-463.
27. Christensen, A., & Sullaway, M. (1984). Communication Patterns Questionnaire. Unpublished questionnaire, University of California, Los Angeles.
28. Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. (1985). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
29. Coverman, S. (1985). Explaining husbands' participation in domestic labor. The Sociological Quarterly, 26, 81-97.
30. Cowan, C. P., Cowan, P. A., Heming, G., Garrett, E., Coysh, W. S., Curtis-Boles, H., & Boles, A. J. (1985). Transitions to parenthood: His, hers, and theirs. Journal of Family Issues, 6, 451-481.
31. Cowan, C. P., & Cowan, P. A. (1987). Men's involvement in parenthood: Identifying the antecedents and understanding the barriers. In P. W. Berman & F. A. Pedersen (Eds.), Men's transitions to parenthood: Longitudinal studies of early family experience (pp. 145-174). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
32. Crohan, S. E. (1996). Marital quality and conflict across the transition to parenthood in African American and White couples. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 933-944.
33. Crouter, A. C., Perry-Jenkins, M., Huston, T. L., & McHale, S. M. (1987). Processes underlying father involvement in dual-earner and single-earner families. Developmental Psychology, 23, 431-440.
34. De Dreu, C. K. W. (1997). Productive conflict: The importance of conflict management and conflict issue. In C. K. W. De Dreu & E. van de Vliert (Eds.), Using conflict in organizations (pp. 9-22). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
35. Deutsch, M. (1973). The resolution of conflict: Constructive and destructive processes. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
36. Deutsch, F. M., Lussier, J. B., & Servis, L. J. (1993). Husbands at home: Predictors of paternal participation in child care and housework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1154-1166.
37. DeVault, M. L. (1990). Conflict over housework: The problem that (still) has no name. In L. Kriesberg (Ed.), Research in social movements, conflict and change (pp. 189-202). Greenwood, CT: JAI.
38. Ferree, M. M. (1990). Beyond separate spheres: Feminism and family research. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 866-884.
39. Ferree, M. M. (1991). The gender division of labor in two-earner marriages. Journal of Family Issues, 12, 158-180.
40. Galambos, N. L., & Silbereisen, R. K. (1989). Role strain in West German dual-earner households. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 385-389.
41. Gerson, J. M., & Peiss, K. (1985). Boundaries, negotiation, consciousness: Reconceptualizing gender relations. Social Problems, 32, 317-331.
42. Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
43. Click, B. R., & Gross, S. J. (1975). Marital interaction and marital conflict: A critical evaluation of current research strategies. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 37, 505-512.
44. Godwin, D. D., & Scanzoni, J. (1989). Couple concensus during marital joint decision making: A context, process, outcome model. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 943-956.
45. Gottman, J. M. (1979). Marital interaction: Experimental investigations. New York: Academic Press.
46. Gottman, J. M., & Krokoff, L. J. (1989). Marital interaction and satisfaction: A longitudinal view. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 47-52.
47. Gottman, J. M., & Levenson, R. W. (1988). The social psychophysiology of marriage. In P. Noller & M. A. Fitzpatrick (Eds.), Perspectives on marital interaction (pp. 182-200). Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters.
48. Greenstein, T. N. (1996). Husband's participation in domestic labor: Interactive effects of wives' and husbands' gender ideologies. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 585-595.
49. Harvey, J. H., Hendrick, S. S., & Tucker, K. (1988). Self-report methods in studying personal relationships. In S. W. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships (pp. 99-113). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
50. Hawkins, A. J., & Roberts, T. A. (1992). Designing a primary intervention to help dual-earner couples share housework and child care. Family Relations, 41, 169-177.
51. Hawkins, A. J., Roberts, T. A., Christiansen, S. L., & Marshall, C. M. (1994). An evaluation of a program to help dual-earner couples share the second shift. Family Relations, 43, 213-220.
52. Heavey, C. L., Christensen, A., & Malamuth, N. M. (1995). The longitudinal impact of demand and withdrawal during marital conflict. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 797-801.
53. Heavey, C. L., Larson, B. M., Zumtobel, D. C., & Christensen, A. (1996). The Communication Patterns Questionnaire: The reliability and validity of a constructive communication subscale. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 796-800.
54. Heavey, C. L., Layne, C., & Christensen, A. (1993). Gender and conflict structure in marital interaction: A replication and extension. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 16-27.
55. Hochschild, A. (1989). The second shift: Working parents and the revolution at home. New York: Viking Press.
56. Hoffman, L. W. (1983). Increased fathering: Effects on the mother. In M. E. Lamb & A. Sagi (Eds.), Fatherhood and family policy (pp. 167-190). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
57. Holmes, J. G., & Murray, S. L. (1996). Conflict in close relationships. In T. Higgins & A. Kruglanski (Eds.), Social psychology: A handbook of basic principles (pp. 622-654). New York: Guilford.
58. Huber, J., & Spitze, G. (1981). Wives' employment, household behaviors, and sex-role attitudes. Social Forces, 60, 150-169.
59. Jacobson, N. S. (1983). Beyond empirism: The politics of marital therapy. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 11, 11-24.
60. Jacobson, N. S. (1989). The politics of intimacy. The Behavior Therapist, 12, 29-32.
61. Kalleberg, A. L., & Rosenfeld, R. A. (1990). Work in the family and in the labor market: A cross-national, reciprocal analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 331-346.
62. Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1989). Cooperation and competition: Theory and research. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.
63. Kelley, H. H., Cunningham, J. D., Grisham, J. A., Lefebvre, L. M., Roberts Sink, C., & Yablon, G. (1978). Sex differences in comments made during conflict within close heterosexual pairs. Sex Roles, 4, 473-492.
64. Kenny, D. A. (1995). The effect of nonindependence on significance testing in dyadic research. Personal Relationships, 2, 67-75.
65. Kenny, D. A. (1996). Models of nonindependence in dyadic research. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 13, 279-294.
66. Kenny, D. A., & Kashy, D. A. (1991) Analyzing interdependence in dyads. In B. M. Montgomery & S. Duck (Eds.), Studying interpersonal interactions (pp. 275-285). New York: The Guilford Press.
67. Kenny, D. A., & La Voie, L. (1985). Separating individual and group effects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 339-348.
68. Klinetob, N. A., & Smith, D. A. (1996). Demand-withdraw communication in marital interaction: Tests of interspousal contingency and gender role hypotheses. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 945-957.
69. Kluwer, E. S., Heesink, J. A. M., & Van de Vliert, E. (1996). Marital conflict about the division of household labor and paid work. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 958-969.
70. Krueger, D. L. (1986). Communication strategies and patterns in dual-career couples. Southern Speech Communication Journal, 51, 274-284.
71. Lorenz, F. O., Conger, R. D., Simons, R. L., Whitbeck, L. B., & Elder, G. H. (1991). Economic pressure and marital quality: An illustration of the method variance problem in the causal modeling of family processes. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 375-388.
72. Margolin, G., Talovic, S., & Weinstein, C. D. (1983). Areas of Change Questionnaire: A practical approach to marital assessment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 920-931.
73. Markman, H. J., Silvern, L., Clements, M., & Kraft-Hanak, S. (1993). Men and women dealing with conflict in heterosexual relationships. Journal of Social Issues, 49, 107-125.
74. Matthews, L. S., Conger, R. D., & Wickrama, K. A. S. (1996). Work-family conflict and marital quality: Mediating processes. Social Psychology Quarterly, 59, 62-79.
75. 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 the Family, 55, 133-145.
76. Menaghan, E. G., & Parcel, T. L. (1990). Parental employment and family life: Research in the 1980s. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 1079-1098.
77. Mirowksy, J., & Ross, C. E. (1995). Sex differences in distress: Real or artifact? American Sociological Review, 60, 449-468.
78. Noller, P., & White, A. (1990). The validity of the Communication Patterns Questionnaire. Psychological Assessment, 2, 478-482.
79. Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.
80. Peirce, R. S., Pruitt, D. G., & Czaja, S. J. (1993). Complainant-respondent differences in procedural choice. The International Journal of Conflict Management, 4, 199-222.
81. 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.
82. Pleck, J. (1985). Working wives/working husbands. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
83. Pittman, J. F., & Blanchard, D. (1996). The effects of work history and timing of marriage on the division of household labor: A life-course perspective. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 78-90.
84. Pittman, J. F., Solheim, C. A., & Blanchard, D. (1996). Stress as a driver of the allocation of housework. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 456-468.
85. Potuchek, J. L. (1992). Employed wives' orientations to breadwinning: A gender theory analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 548-558.
86. Price-Bonham, S., & Murphy, D. C. (1980). Dual-career marriages: Implications for the clinician. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 6, 181-188.
87. Raush, H. L., Barry, W. A., Hertel, R. K., & Swain, M. A. (1974). Communication and conflict in marriage. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
88. Rice, D. G. (1979). Dual-career marriage: Conflict and treatment. New York: The Free Press.
89. Rogers, S. J. (1996). Mothers' working hours and marital quality: Variations by family structure and family size. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 606-617.
90. Rosenfeld, L. B., Bowen, G L., & Richman, J. M. (1995). Communication in three types of dual-career marriages. In M. A. Fitzpatrick & A. L. Vangelisti (Eds.), Explaining marital interactions (pp. 257-289). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
91. Rosenfeld, L. B., & Welsh, S. M. (1985). Differences in self-disclosure in dual-career and single-career marriages. Communication Monographs, 52, 253-263.
92. Ross, C. E., & Van Willigen, M. (1996). Gender, parenthood, and anger. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 572-584.
93. Rubin, J. Z., Pruitt, D. G., & Kim, S. H. (1994). Social conflict: Escalation, stalemate, and settlement. New York: McGraw-Hill.
94. Russell, G., & Radin, N. (1983). Increased paternal participation: The father's perspectives. In M. E. Lamb & A. Sagi (Eds.), Fatherhood and family policy (pp. 139-165). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
95. Scanzoni, J. (1978). Sex roles, women's work, and marital conflict. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
96. Scanzoni, J., & Fox, G. L. (1980). Sex roles, family, and society: The seventies and beyond. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 42, 743-755.
97. Schaap, C. (1984). A comparison of the interaction of distressed and nondistressed married couples in a laboratory situation: Literature survey, methodological issues, and an empirical investigation. In K. Hahlweg & N. S. Jacobson (Eds.). Marital interaction: Analysis and modification (pp. 133-158). New York: The Guilford Press.
98. Schaap, C., Buunk, B., & Kerkstra, A. (1988). Marital conflict resolution. In P. Noller & M. A. Fitzpatrick (Eds.), Perspectives on marital interaction (pp. 203-244). Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters.
99. Sillars, A. L., & Kalbflesch, P. J. (1989). Implicit and explicit decision-making styles in couples. In D. Brinberg & J. Jaccard (Eds.), Dyadic decision-making (pp. 179-215). New York: Springer-Verlag.
100. Simmel, G. (1955). Conflict. New York: The Free Press.
101. Spitze, G. D. (1988). Women's employment and family relations: A review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 595-618.
102. Strauss, A. (1978). Negotiations: Varieties, contexts, processes, and social order. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
103. Suitor, J. J. (1991). Marital quality and satisfaction with the division of household labor across the family life cycle. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 221-230.
104. Thomson, E., & Williams, R. (1982). Beyond wives' family sociology: A method for analyzing couple data. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 44, 999-1008.
105. Thompson, L., & Walker, A. J. (1989). Family work: Women's sense of fairness. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 845-871.
106. Thompson. L., & Walker, A. J. (1995). The place of feminism in family studies. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 847-865.
107. Tjosvold, D. (1997). Conflict within interdependence: Its value for productivity and individuality. In C. K. W. De Dreu & E. van de Vliert (Eds.), Using conflict in organizations (pp. 23-37). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
108. Van de Vliert, E. (1997). Theoretical frontiers of complex interpersonal conflict behaviour. Hove, England: Erlbaum.
109. VanYperen, N. W., & Buunk, B. P. (1991). Sex-role attitudes, social comparison, and satisfaction with relationships. Social Psychology Quarterly, 54, 169-180.
110. Volling, B. L., & Belsky, J. (1991). Multiple determinants of father involvement during infancy in dualearner and single-earner families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 1037-1044.
111. Voydanoff, P. (1988). Work role characteristics, family structure demands, and work/family conflict. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 749-761.
112. Watzlawick, P., Beavin, J. H., & Jackson, D. D. (1967). Pragmatics of human communication: A study of interactional patterns, pathologies, and paradoxes. New York: W. W. Norton.
113. Weiss, R. L., & Heyman, R. E. (1990). Observation of marital interaction. In F. D. Fincham & T. N. Bradbury (Eds.), Psychology of marriage (pp. 87-117). New York: Guilford.
114. West, C., & Zimmerman, D. H. (1987). Doing gender. Gender and Society, 1, 125-151.
115. Yogev, S. (1983). Dual-career couples: Conflicts and treatment. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 11, 38-44.
116. Yogev, S., & Brett, J. (1985). Perceptions of the division of housework and child care and marital satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 609-618.
117. Zvonkovic, A. M., Greaves, K. M., Schmiege, C. J., & Hall, L. D. (1996). The marital construction of gender through work and family decisions: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 91-100.