The literature on marital equality documents the incongruency between
the ideology and practice of marital equality. Twenty married female a
nd male feminists were interviewed and asked to describe the influence
of feminism on their marriages. This study confirms a distinction bet
ween the ideology and practice of equality within heterosexual marriag
e. However, it also reveals the possibility of upgrading marriage for
women and the establishment of marital equality. Couples reported the
practice of vigilance, defined as an attending to and a monitoring of
equality, within and outside of their relationship. This vigilance of
equality appeared as five processes: (a) critique of gender injustices
, (b) public acts of equality, (c) support Of wives' activities, (d) r
eflective assessment, and (e) emotional involvement.