Social Differentiation, Contemporary Marriage, and Human Development

Abstract

This article makes the functionalist claim that to be fully achieved, the change toward sex equality must occur in social, cultural, and personality systems and be apparent not only in the economy but in marriage and individual identity as well. The discussion suggests that the high rate of marital disruption, particularly in dual-earner marriages in which partners approach economic and occupational equality, represents a lag or strain between macro changes in society and related changes in marriage roles and gender role identity in personality. Traditional gender role identities, including subordinate and superordinate statuses for women and men respectively, are seen as congruent with earlier societal forms and less congruent with the demands of postindustrial society. In light of social differentiation, the changing status of women, and the loss of family functions, stable marriages are more likely to be achieved only by those individuals who develop strong capacities for autonomy and intimacy in their marital relationships. To achieve this is also to achieve less sex-typed gender role identities.