Spousal Differences In Marital Satisfaction During Transition to Parenthood

A mother's perception of marital satisfaction after parenthood is more complex than a father's, and equity is a greater consideration for men than for women during the transition to parenthood.

Abstract

Ninety-six couples were assessed to determine the contributions of sex role attitudes, marital equity, perceived father involvement, and infant temperament to satisfaction during transition to parenthood. Both parents reported a significant decline in marital satisfaction from 3 months prebirth to 3 months postbirth. Mothers' evaluations of their postbirth marital relationships were positively influenced by more nontraditional sex role attitudes and greater father involvement in infant care, and negatively influenced by marital inequity and a more temperamentally active infant. Fathers' postbirth marital satisfaction was more negatively influenced by marital inequity than mothers’. Other factors did not contribute to fathers' marital assessment. Results suggest that a mother's perception of marital satisfaction after parenthood is more complex than a father's, and that equity is a greater consideration for men than for women during the transition to parenthood.