It appears that marital satisfaction tends to be highest when partners share similar gender-role expectations and when the wife's employment status matches her own preference about it. When mothers work outside the home, fathers tend to devote more time to child care. Studies have found that maternal employment is NOT harmful to children. Discuss how financial issues are related to marital adjustment. Poverty can have a negative effect on married couples and their children.
Money can be a source of marital strain.
Quarrels about how to spend money are common and potentially damaging at all income levels. Happy couples engage in more joint decision making on finances. Summarize evidence on the relationship between communication quality and marital adjustment. Effective communication is crucial to the success of a marriage. Wives tend to turn to their own mothers for help after giving birth.