Race and Gender Differences in the Relationship between Earner Status, Marital Satisfaction, and Division of Family Tasks

Purpose: What we know about dual-earner families from studies conducted over the past four decades pertains primarily to Caucasian, middle-class couples. Although studies show that Mexican women’s participation in the labor force increased upon immigration to the United States, and that Mexican American men contribute more to family work when their wives are employed, little is known about how employment or family work division is related to Mexican couples’ relationship satisfaction. This study of families with young children explores relationships between employment status, marital satisfaction, and division of household labor in Mexican dual earner families compared to Caucasian dual-earner, Caucasian single-earner, and Mexican single-earner families. We address how both race and couple earner status are associated with a) marital satisfaction and b) the division of family tasks.  

 Methods: Data for this study are drawn from the Supporting Father Involvement (SFI) dataset, a California-based study of over 800 couples. SFI is a randomized clinical trial of a preventive group intervention aimed at strengthening fathers’ involvement in families and improving couple and child outcomes. Participants were recruited via broad community outreach and referrals. Eligibility criteria included both partners agreeing to participate and intending to raise their youngest child together. Participants completed baseline, 6- and 28-month assessments orally administered in English or Spanish.

A sample drawn from the first phases of the study resulted in 522 couples who were primarily of Mexican descent (72.2%). Single earner (40%) and dual-earner (60%) households are represented. Mean ages were 30-33, and mean income was $26,222 for husbands and $9,994 for wives. 18% of husbands and 23% of wives were born in the United States.

Two scales comprised dependent variables: The Quality of Marriage Index and The Who Does What? Questionnaire, assessing how couples divide family tasks and their (dis)satisfaction with the division of labor.

 Data Analysis: Descriptive statistics were used to describe demographics of the sample. Inferential statistics were conducted using SPSS. Data were analyzed using MANOVAs, testing for main and interaction effects of couples’ race and earner status on marital satisfaction and division and (dis)satisfaction with family tasks. Independent-samples t-tests measured differences in marital satisfaction or family task division between dual-earner Mexican couples and (a) dual-earner Caucasian, (b) single-earner Mexican, and (c) single-earner Caucasian couples.

 Findings: Mexican and Caucasian single-earner husbands were happier with their marriages. Among dual-earners, Mexican couples reported higher satisfaction than Caucasians. Dual-earner husbands and wives perceived husbands as more equally dividing family tasks than reported among single-earners, with Mexican husbands reporting more equality than Caucasian husbands. Single earner Mexican husbands were more dissatisfied with family task division than dual-earners. Overall, Mexican wives were more dissatisfied with family task division than Caucasian wives.

 Implications: Dual employment among Mexican families may be a protective factor for couple relationships. However, Mexican wives’ relative dissatisfaction with family work division poses a caution. Cultural values may help explain results, but relationships between both types of work and couple relationships suggest that more research in this area is needed to address realities over stereotypes.