Abstract
What makes a marriage satisfying? Using information about 1292 Dutch first married husbands and wives, this study examines the factors and processes underlying marital satisfaction. The results support the idea that the way partners communicate with each other is essential in understanding their satisfaction with marriage. Moreover, spousal communication also represents a central process through which partners ventilate their parenting experiences. The study shows that children can considerably affect the spousal system. Particularly, the restrictions associated with raising children put pressure on the relationship. This is even more pronounced for women than for men. Less important for a satisfying marriage are traditional role attitudes and behavior. In fact, the findings show that husbands' traditional role attitudes negatively contribute to wives' marital satisfaction and are unrelated to their own satisfaction. Moreover, women's labor market participation does not affect husbands' marital satisfaction and is beneficial for wives' satisfaction to the degree that men hold pro-family attitudes. Actually, a pro-family orientation is positive for both partners' satisfaction with marriage, irrespective of the employment status of women. Finally, a notable finding of this research is the pivotal role of men in maintaining a satisfying relationship. Particularly husbands' endorsement of feminine qualities and behavior (e.g. expressing feelings, taking care of children and communicating openly) is beneficial for current marriages. Hence, it seems that a successful marriage requires a change in traditional images of masculinity and femininity.
