Is low power associated with submission during marital conflict? Moderating roles of gender and traditional gender role beliefs

Lindsey Beck, Emerson CollegeFollow

Affiliation of Author, Researcher, or Creator

Marlboro Institute of Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies

Department

Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies

Author(s)

Pietromonaco, P. R., Overall, N. C., Beck, L. A., & Powers, S. I.

Resource Type

Article

Publication, Publisher or Distributor

Social Psychological and Personality Science

Publication Date

1-1-2021

Brief Description

Lower power during marital interactions predicts greater aggression by men, but no research has identified women’s response to lower power. We tested whether women who experienced lower situational power during conflict exhibited greater submission, especially if they held traditional gender role beliefs and thus accepted structural gender differences in power. Newlywed couples (Time 1, N = 204 couples) completed questionnaires and discussed an area of conflict 3 times over 3 years. Individuals who perceived lower power during couples’ discussions evidenced greater submission, but this effect was more pronounced for wives, especially wives who held traditional gender role beliefs. Among those with traditional gender role beliefs, greater submission together with lower power predicted lower marital adjustment over time. These results highlight that the low power–submission link, and associated implications for marital adjustment, need to be evaluated in the context of power-relevant situations, gender, and broader power-related beliefs about gender roles.

Keywords

power, gender, marriage, interpersonal conflict, submissive behavior

Recommended Citation

Pietromonaco, P. R., Overall, N. C., Beck, L. A., & Powers, S. I. (2021). Is low power associated with submission during marital conflict? Moderating roles of gender and traditional gender role beliefs. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(2), 165-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620904609

Preferred Citation Style

APA

Peer Reviewed

1

License Agreement

1

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