Influence of women's work status on the well-being of Indian couples.
BACKGROUND
In urban India, working women are expected to continue to discharge their traditional domestic duties; the likely result is compromised well-being due to role strain. Husbands of working women may also experience pressures and hence poorer well-being. Well-being in working couples, particularly husbands, is little researched in developing countries.


METHODS
The Subjective Well-Being Inventory was administered to 46 'one-working, (only husband employed) and 51 'both-working' (both spouses employed) randomly selected urban, middle-class couples.


RESULTS
In one-working as well as both-working families, wives experienced less well-being than their husbands. Working wives experienced more confidence in coping than non-working wives. Husbands in both-working families experienced better social support but less social contact, less mental mastery, and poorer perceived health than husbands in one-working families. Few or no sociodemographic variables were associated with well-being.


CONCLUSIONS
Employment may benefit women but stress their husbands.
Andrade
C
C
Department of Psychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.
Postma
K
K
Abraham
K
K
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005192:Family Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016387:Women's Health; D014931:Women, Working / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data