The effects of gender role ideology, wife\u27s employment, and perceived equity on marital quality: A case of young middle-class couples in Korea

The present study investigates how the evaluation of marital quality among young, middle-class couples in Korea is shaped by the wife\u27s employment, the husband\u27s and the wife\u27s gender role ideologies, and perceived equity. The research model hypothesizes that the impact of the gender role ideologies of the husband and wife along with the wife\u27s employment status on each spouse\u27s marital quality is mediated by each spouse\u27s perception of equity within their marriage. A major focus was given to directly testing cross-partner effects by using structural equation modeling (SEM). ^ The sample consists of 107 couples and was recruited based on the following criteria: (1) both spouses range from 25 to 39 years of age; (2) have at least 2 years of college education; (3) have a minimum monthly household income of 2,500,000 won (which is approximately equivalent to 2,000 US dollars and the approximate average household income in the Seoul metropolitan area in 2002); (4) reside in the Seoul metropolitan area in Korea; (5) are in their first marriage; and (6) have at least one child under the age of six. ^ The model was tested using LISREL 8.54 and fit adequately with the data after some modification. Many of the hypothesized direct effects were found. While the husband\u27s and the wife\u27s egalitarianism, and the wife\u27s employment all had a direct effect on the wife\u27s perceived equity, only the husband\u27s egalitarianism had a direct effect on his perceived equity. In contrast, while the husband\u27s and the wife\u27s perceived equity, and the wife\u27s employment all had a direct effect on the husband\u27s marital quality, only the wife\u27s perceived equity had a direct effect on her marital quality. ^ As for the indirect effects, of the husband\u27s and the wife\u27s perceived equity, only the wife\u27s equity was a significant mediator in this model. The effects of the husband\u27s egalitarianism on his own and wife\u27s marital quality, the effect of the wife\u27s egalitarianism on her marital quality, and the effects of the wife\u27s employment on her own and husband\u27s marital quality all were mediated through the wife\u27s perceived equity.