Emotional Relationship of Middle-Aged Married Couples:

From the Wives ‘Point of View of Couples’ Emotional-Care Symmetry

Abstract

　　This study investigated middle-aged married couples' emotional marital relationship, and analyzed its association with demographic variables and wives' feeling toward taking care of family members, using the analytical concept “Emotional Care” . Questionnaire was used. Participants were 193 wives in nuclear families. The main results were as follows. (1) Couples' emotional-care relationship was asymmetrical; the degree of wives emotional care toward husbands was higher than that of husbands toward wives. (2) Main effect of wives' educational background and economic status had significant effects on couples' emotional-care relationship; the higher wive's educationl background and economic status were, the more symmetrical the couples' emotional-care relationship were. (3) Asymmetrical emotional-care relationship was significantly associated with wives' negative feeling toward taking care of family members.