The Marital Construction of Gender through Work and Family Decisions: A Qualitative Analysis

• Published in: Journal of marriage and family 1996-02, Vol.58 (1), p.91-100
• Main Authors: Zvonkovic, Anisa M., Greaves, Kathleen M., Schmiege, Cynthia J., Hall, Leslie D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Child care; Children; Data Collection; Decision Making; Employed Women; Family; Family (Sociological Unit); Family Environment; Family Life; Family Size; Family Work Relationship; Females; Feminism; Gender construction; Gender Issues; Gender relations; Husbands; Job Satisfaction; Males; Marital Satisfaction; Marital Status; Marriage; Men; Patriarchy; Perspective Taking; Qualitative Research; Sex; Sex roles; Sexuality. Marriage. Family relations; Sociology; Sociology of the family. Age groups; Spouses; Statistical Analysis; Wives; Women's employment; Work and the Family; Work Attitudes; Work hours; Workforce; Working women
• ISSN: 0022-2445; 1741-3737
• DOI: 10.2307/353379

In examining factors relating to how married couples make work and family decisions, we discovered that gender and marriages are constructed and, in turn, reconstructed through the decisions couples make about work and family. We qualitatively analyzed longitudinal data gathered from 61 couples who made a work and family decision. Husbands and wives provided information concerning their marriages in general and their work and family decision-making process in particular. We took a feminist critical stance on what couples considered as they faced the decision, and how their considerations were related to aspects of their relationship.