Relations between Marital Processes and Outcomes in the Marriages of Nontraditional and Traditional Women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the importance of the marital processes of cohesion, flexibility, and communication to marital quality and marital stability in the marriages of nontraditional and traditional women. Selected longitudinal data from the 1992 Marital Stability Over the Life Span Data Set were used. A subsample of 74 married women who were defined as nontraditional and a comparison group of 274 traditional women were selected according to their occupational status and gender-role orientation. Comparisons indicated that some marital processes, including higher emotional bonding, spousal interaction, negotiation, and positive communication patterns, were significantly related to marital outcomes for nontraditional women.

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