Marital Power Power in Marriage Think of power as a resource in a relationship o We can use it to get what we want Many conceptualizations of power come from outside the marriage literature We are applying these concepts to marriage o How couples negotiate decisions about their lives Marital Decision Making Arenas Spouse Employment Leisure Time Childcare Domestic Housework Sexual Relations Finances Definition of Power his or her will Ability to produce intended effects or get someone to do something even against Needs to be distinguished from authority which is an individual s or group s acceptance of someone s right to control them Power derives from the Perspective of the Follower One must hold a particular view of the power holder in order for certain types of power to be effective Several types of power proposed o Types vary based on perspective of follower Consider the following types of power in the context of marital relationships Social Bases of Power by French Raven Coercive power power to force someone to do something against one s will o It has capacity to punish o Ex governments parents o Goal compliance Reward Power ability to give other people what they want and hence ask them to do things for you in exchange o It has the capacity to punish withhold rewards Employers offer Legitimate Power power that comes because you are in a certain role e g police officer Referent Power when one identifies with admires or respect the powerholder o e g celebrities can be used to coerce others movie example Mean Girls o Charisma of the leader can imbue him her with power Expert Power knowledge and skill you have that someone else requires o Physician Attorney Measurement of Power Researchers often use measures of Decision Making o Research Question How much does the outcome mirror a spouse s actual Hidden Power in Marriage preference for marital decision Komter 1989 gender ideology as a basis of marital power o Our positions views about what we think members of our gender should do in marriage o Also includes messages from the broader culture too She identified 3 ways to conceptualize and measure power Manifest power spouse s attempt at change conflicts strategies for change Latent power no changes or conflicts reported by spouses o More powerful spouse s needs are prioritized Other spouses acquiesces resigns efforts to enact change feels efforts are futile Invisible power neither partner are aware of power differential o Inequities in decision making about various marital arenas reflect Bases of Power Gender o Gender roles are powerful frequently override other bases of power o e g housework negotiation among wives and husbands based on wives earned income Current thinking Power may ultimately be based on a combination of resources beliefs and gender Research Findings Marital Power and Wage Work o Time spent in earning outside the home increases power in marriage Influence on power is both absolute and relative to partner s income o Relationship specific investment time spent on activities such as childbearing that are valuable only in a person s current relationship Will not carry over in power in another relationship o Women with children typically earn less than women without children and have less marital power Women who control their earnings have more power o Wives ability to exchange labor for goods and services may be limited Must also carry out childcare and household responsibilities Working Wives Power and Authority The Stalled Revolution o Employed men and women do less housework o If there are children housework increases more for women o Horsechild referred to this as the stalled revolution o Employed wives work a second shift o Wives have moved into labor force husbands not yet adjusted Gender roles are huge Power and Marital Satisfaction o Shared power is associated with the highest level of reported marital satisfaction o Egalitarian couples have a higher level of agreement on the desired distribution of power than couples with hierarchical relationship o Higher rates of dissatisfaction in female dominant couples What determines power in the relationship o The meaning couples give to women s paid unemployment or unpaid employment or unpaid household labor is key to determining the woman s power in the relationship Pyke 1994 The meaning couples give to gender and the patriarchal model Thompson and Walker 1989