Wednesday, March 15, 2006

What Makes Modern Women Happy In Marriage May Surprise You

Emotional engagement is what women crave most in a marriage according to a survey published in the journal Social Forces. Money, division of household chores and other factors were all less important to women. How affectionate and understanding their husbands were, and how much quality time they spent with their husbands, were on top of nearly all of the women's lists.

Based on survey responses, the researchers say that women who don't work outside the home themselves, and whose husbands earn the lion's share of income, report the highest levels of marital happiness. Which is in stark contrast to other academic studies that have suggested just the opposite.

Based on survey responses, the researchers say that women who don't work outside the home themselves, and whose husbands earn the lion's share of income, report the highest levels of marital happiness. According to the researchers, it seems that women who have more traditional attitudes (taking care of the home and family, men taking the lead in earning etc.) are happier in their marriages and report more affection and understanding from their husbands.

"Regardless of what married women say they believe about gender, they tend to have happier marriages when their husband is a good provider - provided that he is also emotionally engaged," said University of Virginia sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox. "I was very surprised to find that even egalitarian-minded women are happier when their marriages are organized along more [traditionally] gendered lines."

No comments: