Spousal Roles Research Articles

Anglican Clergy Husbands Securing Middle-Class Gendered Privilege through Religion

Traditionally, clergy wives have been obliged to assist the Church in an unpaid capacity; such work has been feminised, associated with the assumed competencies of women ( Denton 1962 ; Finch 1980 , 1983 ; Murphy-Geiss 2011 ). Clergy husbands are a relatively recent phenomenon in the Church of England, emerging when women started to be ordained as deacons in 1987 and priests in 1994. Based on interviews with men whose wives were ordained as priests in the Church of England, this article will explore the dynamics of class and gender privilege. Most clergy husbands were middle class, defined through educational, occupational and cultural markers ( Bourdieu 1984 ). The narratives highlighted how gender and class privilege was maintained and extended through the clergy spouse role. The interweaving dynamics of class and gender privilege secured preferential outcomes for participants, outcomes that were less evidenced in relation to working-class spouses. Using Bourdieu's (1984) concepts of habitus, field and capital and Verter's (2003) conceptualisation of spiritual capital, this article will highlight the complex ways in which gender and class advantage is perpetuated and sustained, using the Anglican parish as the analytical context, thereby emphasising the role religion plays in consolidating privilege.

Professionals’ opinions on support for people with chronic illness in their roles as parents in mental or in general health care

ABSTRACTChronic illness affects a person’s wellbeing and affects the ability to perform the social roles of spouse or parent. When working with people with long-lasting mental or somatic illnesses, social workers and nurses are confronted with needs for support, especially for parents. Although programs are in place for the children of parents with chronic illnesses, specific services for the parents themselves are scarce, as are parenting support courses for professionals. In an explorative study we investigated the similarities and differences between mental health organizations and general hospitals in providing support to parents. Using a cross-sectional design, information on supported parenting was collected through an internet questionnaire. Twice as many professionals in general hospitals can provide support to parents than did those in mental health organizations that were not trained in supported parenting. Professionals in mental health institutions generally reported that the attention paid to...

乳幼児をもつ親の育児感情と自分の役割配分と幸福感の関連

The hypothesis that parents with infants maintain or improve their well-being by modifying the allocation of five self-roles (parental, professional, spousal, regional, and individual) through childcare-related emotions was investigated. Participants were parents of infants (N=859), who responded to a web-based questionnaire survey. Results indicated differences between fathers and mothers, as well as between single- and dual-career families. Modifications in role allocation resulting from childcare-related emotions influenced parental well-being: parenting satisfaction improved parental role allocation in all three groups, except in dual-career fathers; parenting stress and satisfaction were associated with professional role allocation in dual-career mothers; and high parenting satisfaction and stress were positively associated with spousal role allocation in single-career fathers. The hypothesis of this study was supported in three groups, excluding dual-career fathers. The reasons for this exception are discussed. Findings also suggested that fathers' active involvement in child rearing enhanced the well-being of parents with infants.

In sickness and in health: The role of marital partners in cancer survival

Married cancer patients enjoy a survival advantage, potentially attributable to better health at diagnosis, earlier contact with health personnel, and/or access to resources to ensure more optimal treatment. These mechanisms only invoke the mere presence of a partner, but partners bring varying amounts of resources into the household. It is likely that also spousal resources contribute to differentials in survival net of own resources, as gradients in survival by the latter are well documented. Our aim is to examine the combined roles of own and spouses’ socioeconomic characteristics (SES) and age for cancer survival.Almost 268,000 married patients diagnosed with a first cancer after age 50 during 1975–2007 were identified from the Norwegian Cancer Registry and other national registers. In a sequence of hazard models, differences in survival by patients' own education, income and age and the role of spouses' characteristics were assessed. Furthermore, we also assessed the importance of homogamy/heterogamy along the same dimensions.Partners’ characteristics clearly matter for survival. The relative survival of patients with highly educated partners, net of their own education, is significantly higher than that of patients with lesser-educated partners. Somewhat similar effects are observed for income, net of education. A less consistent pattern is observed for age, although non-normative heterogamy patterns in age and income appear to be associated with a survival disadvantage.The naïve perspective of only considering the presence of partners may thus conceal important differences in cancer survival. Health personnel may take advantage of such knowledge in interactions with patients and their families, and gather information on resources in immediate networks that may impact prognosis favorable and/or unfavorable and help patients utilize these resources to improve prognosis.

What Does Successful Aging Mean? Lay Perception of Successful Aging Among Elderly Singaporeans.

We explore the culturally specific meaning of successful aging in Singapore, an ethnically diverse city-state in Asia. We aim to investigate lay perceptions of successful aging among the elderly individuals in Singapore and further examine variations of these perceptions. We applied a mixed-method research design. Firstly, we conducted qualitative interviews with 49 elderly respondents, generating 12 main subjective components of successful aging. Next, we did a national survey with a sample of 1,540 local residents aged 50 to 69 years, in which respondents were asked to evaluate the importance of each subjective component of successful aging. We used the regression models and latent class analysis to analyze the correlatives of successful aging and to classify the elderly individuals by perception types. Among 12 components of successful aging, those related to self-sufficiency received the highest acknowledgment among the elderly individuals in Singapore. At least half of them simultaneously highlighted independence from family and dependence on family. Malays and Indians in Singapore valued more of the roles of spouse and children in successful aging, as compared with Chinese. The latent class analysis classified four groups of the elderly individuals according to their lay views on successful aging. As compared with the western model of successful aging, the elderly individuals in Singapore perceived successful aging with a strong focus on familism. These lay perceptions also significantly varied among these elderly individuals.

Expressed emotion in fibromyalgia: Contribution of spouses’ attitude and patients’ perception to clinical presentation of fibromyalgia

Objectives: Psychopathological symptoms presented by fibromyalgia patients include introversion, inability to reflect emotional needs, lack self-esteem, and inefficiency in social relationships. There are measures to assess the relationship of the expressed emotion of patients and spouses with severity of fibromyalgia syndrome (FS). The aim of this study to assess the effect of expressed emotion of patient (LEE) and her spouse (EE) on the severity of FS in women. Patients and Methods: 123 FS patients and 105 healthy controls enrolled for the study. In the study, fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRAS), and level of expressed emotion (LEE) and expressed emotion (EE) were recorded. Results: LEE in FS was significantly higher than that in healthy controls [15 (2-56) vs. 11 (3-38); p<0.05]. The EE in FS was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (14.2±4.3 vs. 12.4±4.2; p<0.05). The FIQ score had mild correlations with LEE and EE, place of residence, and family history of FS (r=0241, r=0183, 0.214, and 0.203; respectively) but not with education status, family type, MADRAS score, number of tender points, and duration of FS (p>0.05). After linear hierarchical regression analysis was done to determine to the interaction of EE on the relationship of LEE and FIQ scores, there was no statically significant interaction of EE on the relationship of LEE and FIQ scores (p>0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study support the value of assessment of EE from the perspective of patients and their spouses during the management of FS. To improve the psychological function of FS patients, in clinical practice, considering the role of spouses may provide an important advantage and increase the success of management of FS.

Role of Spouses In Marital Stability As Perceived By Educated Couples In Kwara State,Nigeria

The Paper Investigated The Role Of Spouses In Marital Stability As Perceived By Educated Couples In Kwara State. A Total Of 300 Educated Couples Consisting Of 132 Males And 168 Females Were Selected Using A Simple Random Sampling Technique. Data Were Collected From The Respondents Using An Instrument Titled “Role Of Spouses In Marital Stability Questionnaire” (Rsimsq). The Four Null Hypotheses Generated Were Analyzed Using The T-Test And Analysis Of Variance (Anova) At 0.05 Alpha Level Of Significance, Where The Result Of Anova Showed A Significant Difference, Duncan Multiple Range Test (Dmrt) Statistics Was Used To Determine The Group(S) That Contributed To The Significant Difference. The Study Identified The Major Role Of Spouses In Marital Stability As Sexual, Financial And Domestic With Mean Scores Of 19.10, 19.09 And 16.15 Respectively. The Study Indicated No Significant Difference In The Perception Of The Role Of Spouses In Marital Stability Based On Length Of Years In Marriage. However, There Was A Significant Difference In The Perception Of The Role Of Spouses In Marital Stability Based On Gender, Highest Educational Qualification And Age. Based On The Findings Recommendations Were Made For Implementation.

Marriage and transnational family life among Somali migrants in Finland

In this article, we investigate how marriage practices of Somali migrants in Finland are influenced by their transnational kinship. We examine how transnational family ties play a role in migrants’ spouse selection, marriage arrangements, and management of spousal resources. We also identify the factors that enable migrants to successfully navigate marital challenges caused by their transnational kin-based ties. These factors are: companionate marriage relationship based on emotional closeness and flexible spousal roles, compatibility in spousal resources, and the cooperation of couples in navigating transnational family obligations. We show how gender and generation are at play (in complex ways) in the interplay between transnational kinship and marriage. We draw on interview data from 16 married male and female interviewees, taken from a larger sample of 37 informants of different marital statuses. Our analysis is also based on data from focus group discussions

Relationship dynamics and challenges of safer sex in an HIV serodiscordant couple in India: A case review from the positive Jeevan Saathi study

ABSTRACTCurrently, no counseling guidelines exist for HIV serodiscordant couples in India. One-on-one interviews were conducted with married, serodiscordant couples in Western India, from which one couple was selected to explicate the factors that elevated HIV risk, using an intrinsic case study approach. This case study describes the factors that contribute to HIV risk in a married serodiscordant couple, including shifts in spousal roles, history of child sexual abuse, unfulfilled sexual desire, unprotected sex with extramarital relations, intimate partner violence, and inconsistent condom use with marital partner. Although there were improvements in the couple’s relationship after HIV entered their lives, shifts in relationship dynamics and behaviors exacerbated HIV risk. Early and ongoing counseling interventions with couples are key, as relationship dynamics and behaviors can change over time. HIV service providers must be trained appropriately to address the spectrum of risk that may lie in HIV serodiscordant couples.

Household Expenditure Patterns: Evidence from Working-Couple Households in Turkey

Gender roles in household consumption patterns have been studied in the literature in relation to two models of household behavior; household production model and the unitary versus non-unitary models of the family decision making. The implications of the first model relate to the changes in household expenditure patterns as a result of the withdrawal of the wives from the traditional gender responsibilities at home due to their involvement in paid-labor activities. The studies testing the unitary model of the family behavior, on the other hand, concentrate on the changes in the expenditure patterns resulting from the diverging preferences of the wives together with their increasing bargaining power as their control over the household resources increases. This paper attempts to test the implications of both models utilizing data on working-couple households drawn from the 2003 Household Budget Survey compiled by Statistics Institute of Turkey. For this purpose, four distinct household expenditures- Food Away from Home (FAFH), Processed Food, Personal Care and Recreation-and-Culture- are analyzed by employing Tobit model as the estimation method. The results of the study of two-earner households indicate that the wage rates of the wife and the husband have no statistically different effects on the FAFH, processed food and recreation-and-culture expenditures while the wage rates of the spouses have diverging effects on the personal care expenditures, holding a set of demographic variables constant. Therefore, the Turkish data reveal that the unitary household decision making is valid in the case of goods that are likely to be consumed collectively by the household members whereas the non-unitary household decision making framework is supported in the case of goods that are likely to be consumed separately by the family members. In relation to household production model, our estimation results depict that when hours of work of spouses increase FAFH and Processed Food expenditures increase on average, controlled for a set of demographic variables. However, this increase cannot be solely attributed to the gender roles of spouses but expenditures are likely to increase because both spouses are time constrained.

An exploration of gender differences in the relationship between work family conflict and gambling problems

The current study is an examination of gender differences in the experience of problems as a result of gambling. Using the framework of work–family conflict, this study compares men and women in terms of how their participation in work and family life relates to gambling problems as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index. Data from the 2008 Canadian Community Health Survey, a large representative sample of 28,687 participants in three Canadian provinces, is analysed with generalized linear modeling. The findings of this study show that simultaneously occupying the roles of married spouse and working spouse is associated with more gambling-related problems for women, but fewer for men. The study concludes with a discussion of how the intersection of problem gambling and important aspects of social life presents different problems for men and women due to gendered expectations surrounding work and family life. Implications for the findings in relation to trends of increased use of electronic gaming machines by gambling providers are also discussed.

Spousal role and family vacation decision making in India

Family purchase decision making has been an interesting topic of study for marketing researchers, after the ground-breaking work of Davis. Still, there is a lack of serious research in this area in developing countries. This research paper is an empirical study on the role of husband and wives in the purchase decision making process for family vacation of 125 couples in Delhi, India (Metro, Tier I city) and Aligarh, India (Tier II city). The role is examined on the basis of three major purchasing stages and the eight sub-decision stages encountered by the couple when deciding to go on a family vacation. After the analysis, it was found that the role structure for the vacation decision making in India is mainly joint, although, there is a difference between the role structure in Tier I and Tier II cities. In Tier II city like, Aligarh apart from joint decision, husband dominant decision making is also present. This shows that the patriarchal mindset still prevail in smaller cities as compared to a metro.

Studies of Communication in the 2012 Presidential Campaign. Edited by Robert E.Denton, Jr. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2014. 239 pages.

Studies of Communication in the 2012 Presidential Campaign. Edited by Robert E. Denton, Jr. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2014. 239 pages. How significant was the March 23, 2015, announcement by Senator Ted Cruz that he was running for president of the United States--making him the first candidate to formally enter the 2016 campaign? Judith S. Trent, writing in Robert E. Denton Jr.'s Studies of Communication in the 2012 Presidential Campaign, offers some perspective: Beginning in 1972, and with no exceptions thereafter, presidential hopefuls who have gone on to become viable candidates for the nomination of their parties are those who surfaced earlier than their competition (p. 4). This intriguing insight, which would no doubt please Cruz's advisors, is one of many in Denton's latest edited volume. In it, Trent, Denton, and fourteen other scholars scrutinize wide range of elements and (p. ix) in the 2012 presidential campaign. The volume offers a diverse number of ways to consider the and function of communication (p. ix) within the various contexts of a political campaign. Even though the book limits itself to the two major political parties (in the process, virtually ignoring the marginalized voices of third-party and independent candidates), its areas of focus are plentiful, including the surfacing phase; Mitt Romney's nomination; candidate personae; first ladies as campaigners and presidential advisors; the nomination acceptance speeches of Romney and of Barack Obama; undecided voters; the role of race, music, and social media; and Obama's second inaugural address. Trent's Chapter 1 explores the functions of candidate surfacing (establishing first impressions, introducing the candidate's administrative style, and articulating the themes and issues the candidate hopes will resonate with voters) in relation to the 2012 candidates. Henry C. Kenski and Kate M. Kenski examine the 2012 Republican Party nomination of Romney in Chapter 2, providing a solid overview of the political environment, the impact of Republican nomination rule changes and fundraising, media coverage, and the ability to maintain a strong positive message. In Chapter 3, Dennis D. Cali examines the candidates' personae, beginning with a discussion of personal attributes, manifestations, functions, and challenges. Of particular note in this chapter is the critical framework that Cali offers for assessing candidate persona. Chapter 4 turns the focus to the male candidates' wives and their roles during the campaign. Here, Theodore F. Sheckels discusses the evolving role and expectations of first ladies, tracing campaigning first ladies from the nineteenth century to 2004 and, finally, considering the ways in which Michelle Obama adheres to the traditional norms of first ladies in campaigns, namely, to target specific voting groups or to be used to say things the candidate cannot (p. 76). Melody J. Lehn, in Chapter 5, continues by examining the backlash that Hilary Rosen received when she criticized Ann Romney for having never worked a day in her life (p. 96). These chapters challenge readers to look at the evolving roles of first ladies who are campaigners and mothers and who also have pre-White House careers and advanced degrees. Although it would make for an interesting study, the roles of male spouses--the husbands of Hillary Clinton and Michele Bachman--remain unexplored here. …

Elder Care, Multiple Role Involvement, and Well-Being Among Middle-Aged Men and Women in Japan.

Japan's population is aging at an unprecedented rate. Combined with the tradition of family responsibility for elder care, this rapid population aging has resulted in middle-aged Japanese people being much more likely today than in past decades to face the responsibility of caring for their elderly parents alongside their other major roles. Using nationally representative Japanese data, this study assessed the individual and combined implications of caregiving and other role involvements for the well-being of middle-aged men and women. Some evidence was found for deleterious psychological consequences of the caregiver role. However, in contrast to expectations, the interaction between the roles of caregiver and worker was positively associated with well-being among both men and women. The results suggest the importance of middle-aged adults being able to keep working when they have to care for their aging parents. Another important finding was significant gender differences in the psychological consequences of holding multiple family- and work-related roles and in combining these with the caregiver role. Further analysis showed that the spousal role was also negatively associated with depressive symptoms and positively associated with satisfaction for men but not for women. Gender differences in the findings appear to reflect the significant gender asymmetry in role experiences in Japan.

The role of the spouse in managers’ family-related career sensemaking

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a growing body of literature on the role of family in managers’ career decision making. Specifically, the authors offer an empirical elaboration on a recently proposed concept of the “family-relatedness of work decisions” (FRWD) by illuminating the role of the spouse in managers’ career sensemaking.Design/methodology/approach– In total, 88 managers who were in the final stage of their EMBA program took part in the study. The data were gathered through a personal career inventory.Findings– The findings revealed that next to family-career salience and parent role identification, spouses also play an important role in shaping managers’ family-related career sensemaking.Research limitations/implications– Future research should examine the supportive role of spouses in contexts other than that of an international EMBA. Moreover, researchers should examine the role of managers’ boundary management styles in shaping the degree of their family-related career sensemaking.Practical implications– The paper suggests that when designing and implementing developmental initiatives, organizations should consider that managers’ decisions about their next career steps may be guided by family-related concerns, and the spouse may play a specific role.Originality/value– This paper offers the first empirical exploration and a refinement of the nascent theory of the “FRWD.” It also introduces a new construct into the theory – spousal career support – that opens new avenues for future research.

Editorial Overview: Violence and Discrimination against Women

The role of women in the labour market is intricately related to the society’s expectation about their roles at home. When the expectations of motherhood and the homemaker role are greater, the likelihood of women’s labour market success will be smaller. This in turn discourages society to invest in women’s safety and security outside their home environment. Inside their homes, society and state give priority to the spousal role of the women, ahead of their physical safety and mental well-being. Thus, conditions become rife for meting out violence and abuse towards them. A number of articles in this special section present research findings on this difficult problem.

Striving against the ‘Nafs’

I analyze how Somalis in Helsinki re-interpret religious norms on marriage in light of: 1) the challenges of socioeconomic hardships and marginalization in Finland; and 2) ethical principles in Islamic tradition that underlie religious rulings such as striving against the selfishness of the ‘nafs’ (self) and seeking spiritual advancement. I examine how norms on spousal roles and rights are contested and reinterpreted. I highlight how young women, in particular, foreground the ‘ethical' in their religious understandings of marriage norms. I explore if Veit Bader’s1 concept of ‘internal religious governance’ can analytically explain these processes. I draw on data from individual interviews and focus group discussions with women and men; and interviews with mosque imams and a clan elder.

Treating marriage as "the sick entity": Gender, emotional life, and the psychology of marriage improvement in postwar Britain.

This essay examines how marriage relationships came to be constituted as therapeutic objects after WWII and the impact that this had on British postwar understandings of the meaning of marriage. In contrast to prevailing concerns during the interwar decades about sexual dissatisfaction as the chief impediment to marital stability, post-WWII marriage counselors and therapists framed marital harmony as dependent upon spouses' psychological maturity. An inability to sustain a stable marriage was interpreted as a sign of arrested development, most often stemming from a dysfunctional relationship with one or both parents in childhood. This essay reveals that the equal-but-different gender roles that were the cornerstone of the modern "companionate" marriage were crucial to marital counselors and therapists' psychological understanding of marriage as an interpersonal relationship during the decades following WWII. Practitioners gauged therapeutic success not only in accordance with whether or not couples stayed married, but also in terms of the extent to which spouses enthusiastically accepted the adult masculine and feminine spousal roles that the male-breadwinning nuclear family required. Moreover, therapists' valuing of the emotional dimensions of marriage made "natural" feminine attributes-such as a presumed ease in establishing loving relationships-a centrally valued aspect of therapeutic work and intimate life more broadly. Far from having a potentially disruptive impact on the presumed naturalness of gender difference (which had been a focus of criticism of psychoanalysis during the interwar decades), the psychoanalytic techniques that were developed to treat marriage problems after WWII were profoundly normalizing.

Negociación de los aspectos económicos en familias reconstituidas: efectos en la salud familiar

Objective: describe the negotiation on economic aspects of reconstituted couples. Material and methods: qualitative and interpretative study. Under the assumption that remarried couples are more vulnerable for failure, as they take for granted the roles of gender and of each partner, which hinders communication, negotiation and agreements in the family. The following hypothesis was raised: “the lack of negotiation and agreements on the role of spouses in the reconstituted couple influences family breakdown”. The selection criteria were: remarried couples, patients of the issste (Institute of Security and Social Services for the State Workers) “Gustavo A Madero” Family Medicine Clinic (fmc), in Mexico City. The sampling was to convenience, three couples, that means, six spouses of reconstituted families were included. It was used, as an instrument, an interview guide considering five dimensions of the study: negotiation of economic arrangements, child care, work home, communication in the couple and sexuality. Semi-structured audio-taped interviews were conducted under informed consent. Results: in couples 1 and 2 there was no dialogue and proper negotiation about family economy, which caused difficulty and tension between spouses, in addition, the distribution of economic resources was based on the needs. In couple 3, dialogue and economic cooperation were more equitable and based on the planning and organization of the primary and secondary needs, favoring the integration and a more stable family dynamics. Conclusions: difficulty in communication and the implicit functions of the gender role, do not allow negotiation, planning or organization of the family, which is a risk factor for the integration and family health.

The Influence of Gender Role and Women's Empowerment on Couples' Fertility Experiences in Urban Society of Mashhad, Iran

Background and Aim: Iran has experienced a great variation in women's status in recent years. There is a little knowledge on how and why advancing gender equality and equity and the empowerment of women play a role in recent fertility reduction in the country. This study was conducted to gain insight into the role of gender beliefs and women's empowerment in the couples 'experiences of fertility in Mashhad, Iran in 2011-2012. Methods: In this exploratory qualitative study in-depth interviews were conducted with 54 purposefully selected eligible male and female participants and some key informants who lived in urban society of Mashhad. Data was collected until saturation was happened and analyzed adopting conventional content analysis approach through giving analytical codes and identification of categories using MAXqda software. Study rigor verified via prolonged engagement, thick description and validation of anlysis through member check. Results:Findings from data analysis demonstrated three major categories about the influence of women’s empowerment and gender role on fertility experiences including: 1) The couple’s understanding of gender roles 2) Women’s empowerment and changing gender roles 3) Couple’s interactions in complementary or parallel roles and 4) Fulfillment of fertility goals based on role division. Some aspects of couples' interaction including equal roles in fertility decisions, choosing and using best fit family planning method and participative child care influenced couples' fertility behavior. Women’s empowerment together with balanced gender role in the family resulted in success in attaining couple’s fertility desire. Conclusion: Managing fertility behaviors needs to understand the roles of spouses in their mutual interaction in fertility decision making and related behaviors. Imbalanced gender role in family acts as an obstacle to reach the fertility goals and leads to lower than desired fertility. Reproductive health policy makers and family planning counselors could apply the findings of this study in order to publicize proper fertility behaviors through making the couples aware of the risks of gender role imbalance.