Perceiving unfairness in the family: Cause or consequence of marital distress?

This research tests a model suggesting that marital distress leads individu als to scrutinize what is given and received in the relationship. This scru tiny elicits perceptions of unfairness that maintain or exacerbate marital distress. In a 3-panel longitudinal study tracking married couples across t he transition to parenthood, both wives' and husbands: reports of marital c onflict and wives' marital dissatisfaction at Time 1 positively predicted p erceived unfairness of the allocation of household tasks at Time 2, control ling for earlier perceptions of unfairness. In addition, there was evidence of perceived unfairness of division of labor at Time 2 predicting marital conflict and marital dissatisfaction for wives at Time 3, controlling for e arlier conflict and dissatisfaction. This model of relationship distress an d perceptions of unfairness is contrasted with prior interpretations of lin ks between perceived injustice and distress in relationships.