Marital distress across the mid-life transition among middle-class Caucasian women.
Aspects of Levinson's 1978 theory of adult development were used to examine women's progress across the mid-life transition. The subjects were 126 married, Caucasian mothers, ages 37 to 47 years. Contrary to prediction, age-related differences in marital distress were not found. For the sample as a whole, marital distress was related to a family history of distress, difficulty in parent-child relations, and inequitable task-sharing with spouses. Some of the difficulties for women in combining family and career within the context of current social and family structures are discussed.
Blattberg
K J
KJ
Pederson-Krag Center Huntington, New York.
Hogan
J D
JD
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007063:Identity Crisis; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012923:Social Class