Perceived equality in spousal relations, marital quality, and life satisfaction: A comparison of elderly wives and husbands

The author examined whether equality in 3 dimensions of marriage - power relations, division of household tasks, and equality in resources - affects marital quality as well as general life satisfaction in a sample of 120 elderly Israeli couples. Another goal of the research was to examine whether perceived past assistance from the spouse at a time of need affected the dependent variables and whether this effect was different for husbands and wives. The findings revealed similarities as well as differences in the variables that predict marital quality and general life satisfaction. The relationship among the predictors and the dependent variables was stronger for the wives than for their husbands. Past assistance from the spouse influenced quality of marriage and life satisfaction for both men and women. Moreover, the results revealed a cross-effect, indicating that one partner's reports of past assistance and equality in marriage affected the other's perceptions of marital quality and general life satisfaction.