Do Liberal or Conservative Attitudes Matter? A Theoretical Model of Marital Dissolution

• In Event: 220 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 05. Relationship Dissolution and Transitions

Abstract

This paper proposes (to consider) a comprehensive theoretical model explaining the process of marital dissolution, arguing three key features: (1) separation of the process of marital breakdown and the act of leaving the marriage, with this paper calling for paying attention to the differences, (2) emphasis on married persons’ efforts to maintain his/her self-identity as the force behind marital conflicts, and (3) related, emphasis on the expectations of gender-specific roles (referred as gendered-role expectations in this paper) as the potential factor threatening his/her self-identity. The ideas are from the authors’ qualitative and quantitative previous research on marital dissolution internationally, but to support the argument this paper uses data from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) conducted in the US between 1987 and 2002 over three waves.

Author

• Yean-Ju Lee, University of Hawaii