A study of the relationships among gender, family life cycle, and marital satisfaction

• Main Author: 陳姿勳
• Other Authors: 沈瓊桃
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2001
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/09791337929412054424

碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 社會政策與社會工作學系 === 89 === A study of relationships among gender, family life cycle, and marital satisfaction Abstract It helps to solve the problems of couples, families, and society, if couples are happy and satisfied with their marriages. In addition, literature review shows that gender and family life cycle are important factors associated with marital satisfaction. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationships among gender, family life cycle, and marital satisfaction. The study used the stratified random sampling method to collect data with a sample of 221 married couples. The measurement instrument was “Marital satisfaction Inventory”, including the background questions, eleven sub-scales, response set sub-scale, and marital satisfaction sub-scale. Moreover, quantitative approach was used to analyze data. There were three main research findings. First, gender and family life cycle were significant predictors of marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction appeared to be decreasing as the couples going through the family life cycle. In addition, husbands reported high satisfaction with their marriages than wives did. Second, given the different stages of family life cycle, there were gender differences in some dimensions of marriage, including personality issues, couple closeness, communication & conflict resolution, gender roles, financial management, couple flexibility, children and parenting, and family & friends. Husbands reported higher satisfaction with their marriages than their wives did in those dimensions, except the couple flexibility. In the first stage of family life cycle, the wife had higher satisfaction with couple flexibility than the husband did. Third, couple relationships and demographic variables are both significant predictors of marital satisfaction. However, couple relationships could explain far more variation of marital satisfaction than the demographic variables did. This study has contributed to the marital research in Taiwan mainly because it is the first study to explore the relationships among gender, family life cycle, and marital satisfaction in Taiwan. Based on the research contributions and findings, implications and suggestions were made and discussed for researchers, social workers and the public.