Aim: Marriage is a way of life, in reality. It’s not always sunshine and flowers, but for it to work, both sides need to be prepared to adapt. Most families are having a very hard time adjusting to the increasing number of families with two workers, especially when it comes to the marriage relationship. The present study aimed to examine the gender differences and correlation in marital adjustment and its dimensions among single-working couples and dual-working couples between 25 to 45 years of age range. It is a comparative study of marital adjustment of couples from urban and rural areas.
Methodology: A total of 400 couples from Lucknow city were studied including 200 single-working couples and 200 Dual-working Couples. The standardised tool of the Marital Adjustment Questionnaire developed by Kanchana Rohatgi and Pramod Kumar was used in the study. The data was statistically analysed by the SPSS 20 version that used the F test and Correlation Matrix.
Results: The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant gender difference in emotional, social and sexual dimensions of marital adjustment among single and dual-working couples. It also revealed that there is a significant correlation between emotional adjustment and social adjustment, sexual adjustment and emotional adjustment. It also revealed an interesting finding that dual-working couples have better marital adjustment than single-working couples and there is no such difference in marital adjustment of couples from rural and urban areas.
Author(s) Details:
Raksha Singh
School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Babu Banarasidas University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Recent Global Research Developments in Marital Adjustment Dimensions in Single-Working vs. Dual-Working Couples
Definition and Evolution of Marital Adjustment:
- Marital adjustment is a controversial construct, but it generally refers to the quality of the relationship between spouses.
- Researchers have consistently studied marital adjustment over the years, making it a frequently investigated dependent variable in couple and family research.
- Factors influencing marital adjustment include individual aspects (such as personality traits, irrational beliefs, and dysfunctional emotions) and relational aspects (like romantic attachment and dyadic coping).
- Recent studies have explored the association between personality traits and relationship quality, emphasizing the role of individual characteristics in marital satisfaction [1].
- The definition of this construct is one of the most controversial topics in the literature. On the basis of various contributions, marital adjustment can be defined as a multidimensional indicator of the quality of marital relationship.
Impact on Well-Being and Health:
- Good-quality marriages positively affect individual well-being and health.
- A positive marital relationship acts as a buffer against life stressors, contributing to emotional competence, better communication, and overall life satisfaction.
- Marital adjustment becomes crucial, especially when a partner faces illness or other challenges.
- The link between marital adjustment and personal well-being is stronger in more established marriages [1].
Comparison Between Single-Working and Dual-Working Couples:
- Research has explored marital adjustment differences between single-working and dual-working couples.
- Findings suggest that single working couples tend to have better marital adjustment compared to dual working couples.
- The stress and work pressure faced by dual-working couples may impact their marital satisfaction, particularly among women [2,3].
References
- Bertoni, A., Iafrate, R., Donato, S., Rapelli, G. (2020). Marital Adjustment. In: Maggino, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_1727-2
- Tiwari, J., & Bisht, P. (2012). Marital adjustment of working and non-working women–A Comparative Study. Quest-The Journal of UGC-ASC Nainital, 6(3), 504-508. https://www.ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2304365.pdf
- Beegam, H., Muqthar, M., Wani, M. A., & Singh, B. (2017). Marital adjustment among single and dual working couples. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 4(3), 23-29. https://ijip.in/wp-content/uploads/ArticlesPDF/article_2fe8720ba4c1e5f3e292bc8f3325e394.pdf
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