H. Helms-erikson, Marital quality ten years after the transition to parenthood: Implicationsof the timing of parenthood and the division of housework, J MARRIAGE, 63(4), 2001, pp. 1099-1110
Using a sample of 180 dual-earner, nondivorced couples, this study explored
how the timing of parenthood and the division of housework are related to
husbands' and wives' marital quality during the childrearing years. Hypothe
sized to be "at risk" for negative marital evaluations were early first-bir
th couples who divided tasks in a less-traditional manner and delayed first
-birth couples who divided tasks in a traditional manner. Analyses revealed
that husbands and wives in the "risk" groups evaluated their marriages mor
e negatively, suggesting that congruence between behaviors, background, and
attitudes is important for marital quality. In addition, early first-birth
couples evaluated their marriages more poorly than did the "on time" or "d
elayed" couples. Wives' gender-typed attitudes emerged as a significant cov
ariate in the analyses but did not account for the effects of the timing of
parenthood and the timing of parenthood X the division of housework intera
ctions.