Negotiations of Household Labor and Child Care and Perceptions of Fairness Across the Transition to Parenthood: A Longitudinal Study

by

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Brandon McDaniel

Background Information

The birth of a couple’s first child brings about more profound changes and challenges to the family unit than any other developmental stage (Vessey & Knauth, 2001). This transition has been associated with a deterioration of couple communication, sexual intimacy, and overall marital satisfaction with an increase in conflict (Cowan, 1995; Belsky & Pensky, 1988). A major contributor to the dramatic changes accompanying parenthood is the increase in household labor and child care responsibilities (Bond, Galinsky, & Swanberg, 1998; Cowan & Cowan, 1992). Conflicts over participation in household labor and perceptions of fairness in the home have been identified as primary predictors of marital satisfaction (Coltrane, 2000; Vessey & Knauth, 2001).

Recent findings exploring marital satisfaction patterns indicate that not all couples experience a steep decline in marital satisfaction during the transition to parenthood. There are groups of couples within the general picture of declining marital satisfaction that when removed and examined alone, have more stable or even increasing slopes of marital quality (Kamp Dush, Taylor, & Kroeger, 2008; Anderson, Van Ryzin, & Doherty, 2008). The relationship between housework and child care responsibilities and marital satisfaction suggests that some couples may negotiate changes across the transition to parenthood in a more satisfying way than other couples.

Current Study

The purpose of the current study was to explore how men and women in couples negotiate housework and child care responsibilities during the transition to parenthood and how perceptions of fairness are related to marital quality. Findings from the study will contribute needed understanding of these negotiations during the critical transitional period of becoming a parent.

Method

This project used a mixed-methods, longitudinal design. Participants—30 couples who transitioned to parenthood within two months of the initial intake—were recruited through local birthing clinics, obstetrician offices, and prenatal classes by the use of flyers and email.

Our survey instruments—which were used to measure marital satisfaction, household labor, perceptions of fairness, couples’ expectations, and couples’ emotion work—were created through a careful review of the literature on the subject.

Upon entry into the study couples completed an informed consent form and an intake survey. They were then followed for a period of six months beyond the date of their child’s birth. Across this period, assessments were made of the negotiation of household labor and child care responsibilities as well as dimensions of marital quality using quantitative and qualitative survey instruments—at two months, four months, and six months. Those who completed the study received a 20 dollar compensation for their participation.

Data Analysis

The data are in the process of being transcribed and analyzed. The mixed-methods approach to data collection will necessitate a mixed-methods approach to data analysis. Initially, we had anticipated using a latent path/latent class analysis to categorize the respondents into groups reflecting unique trajectories. We were unable to obtain a sufficient sample size to create these analyses using robust methods. However, graphs of each couple’s trajectory are being created and compared to identify groups of trajectories without employing complex latent path methods. The use of scales for all of the constructs measured strengthens the ability to use regression methods to identify predictors of perceptions of fairness. Finally, qualitative data is being analyzed using both grounded theory and discourse analysis approaches. A paper noting our results will be written for publication, for conference presentations, and for my honors program thesis.

References

  • Anderson, J. R., Van Ryzin, M. J., Doherty, W. J. (2008). Developmental trajectories of marital happiness: A group-based approach. Unpublished manuscript.
  • Belsky, J., & Pensky, E. (1988). Marital change across the transition to parenthood. Marriage and Family Review, 12, 133-156.
  • Bond, J., Galinsky, E., & Swanberg, J. (1998). The national study of the changing workforce. New York: Families and Work Institute.
  • Coltrane, S. (2000). Research on household labor: Modeling and measuring the social embeddedness of routine family work. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 1208-1233.
  • Cowan, C. P., & Cowan, P. A. (1995). Interventions to ease the transition to parenthood: Why they are needed and what they can do. Family Relations, 44, 412-423.
  • Cowan, C. P., & Cowan, P. A. (1992). When partners become parents: The big life change for couples. New York: Basic Books.
  • Kamp Dush, C. M., Taylor, M. G., & Kroeger, R. A. (2008). Marital happiness and psychological wellbeing across the life course. Family Relations, 57, 211-226.
  • Vessey, J., & Knauth, D. (2001, March). Marital change during the transition to parenthood. Pediatric Nursing, 27, 169.