We investigate the relationship between marital satisfaction and the f
amily division of both paid and domestic work, and we assess whether v
alue preferences for the gender division, the balance of power, and pe
rceptions of equity and empathy mediate this relationship in a random
sample of 382 two-earner married couples. Using a path analysis, we fi
nd that the division of labor and role preferences affect marital sati
sfaction mainly through perceptions of fairness, but what is ''fair''
is different for husbands and wives. The gendered meanings attached to
domestic and paid work are important in understanding these differenc
es and lend support to a gendered model of marital satisfaction.