Marital Role Expectations and Power-Sharing between Married Individuals Who Are in the Transition to Parenthood and Who Do Not Have a Child

Abstract

Introduction: The effects of being a parent can be observed in a wide range such as couple's relationships and gender role dynamics. The purpose of the present study is to compare the marital role expectations and power-sharing of married individuals who are in the transition to parenthood with those who do not have a child. Method: All participants (n = 265) have been married for less than five years. The participants are divided into two groups: married individuals without children (n = 178) and married individuals in the transition to parenthood (n = 87). Participants with their first child (0–36 months) are included in the transition to parenthood group. MANOVA and ANOVA are used in the analysis. Results: According to the results, parents in the transition to parenthood adopt more traditional roles than married individuals who do not have a child. The equality of power-sharing amongst the married individuals who are in the transition was lower than those who do not have a child. Further, there are no differences in terms of gender and the transition to parenthood status (have/do not have a child) joint effect for both dependent variables. In the transition to parenthood, while marital role expectations do not change in the first years of parenthood, power-sharing in the relationship decreases. Conclusion: The results of the study reveal that the transition to parenthood negatively affects gender roles and power-sharing dynamics of married individuals, -compared to married individuals who do not have a child-.