Midlife Marriage: Sex Differences in Evaluation and Perspectives

Abstract

Perceptions of marital relations are examined in a white middle and lower-middle class sample representing three life stages: newly weds, middle-aged parents facing the empty nest, and persons about to retire. Descriptions of spouses are analyzed in terms of positive/negative evaluations and the respective importance given to role and interpersonal components of the marital relationship. Middle-aged respondents were shown to place greater emphasis on role performance than did the remaining groups, and middle-aged women gave the least positive evaluations of marriage. Midlife marital satisfaction is examined in relationship to affect toward children, socioeconomic status, value orientations, and life satisfaction.