Marital inequality: The importance of resources, personal attributes, and social norms on career valuing and the allocation of domestic responsibilities

Abstract

This study assessed the extent to which resources (income and job prestige) and personal attributes (descriptions of oneself as autonomous, dominant, and achievement oriented as compared to nurturant and affiliative) predicted differences in the perceived importance of husbands' and wives' careers and in the sharing of responsibilities at home. In this sample of 60 dual-career couples, half the wives earned at least one-third more than their husbands and half the husbands earned at least one-third more than their wives. Consistent with the resource theory prediction, spouses who earned more viewed their careers as more important and had more say at home than spouses who earned less. Consistent with the cultural resource position, men, overall, had more say in financial matters, less responsibility for the children and the household, and saw their own careers as more importnat than their wives' careers. Regression analyses revealed that resources and sex predicted whose career was more highly valued, but personal attributes and perceived career importance were the best predictors of spouses' overall say at home.