TY - JOUR
T1 - Gender, Emotion Work, and Relationship Quality
T2 - A Daily Diary Study
AU - Curran, Melissa A.
AU - McDaniel, Brandon T.
AU - Pollitt, Amanda M.
AU - Totenhagen, Casey J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Our sources of funding were from the McClelland Institute at the University of Arizona for Melissa Curran, and from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Award Number T32DA017629) for Brandon McDaniel.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
PY - 2015/8/18
Y1 - 2015/8/18
N2 - We use the gender relations perspective from feminist theorizing to investigate how gender and daily emotion work predict daily relationship quality in 74 couples (148 individuals in dating, cohabiting, or married relationships) primarily from the southwest U.S. Emotion work is characterized by activities that enhance others’ emotional well-being. We examined emotion work two ways: trait (individuals’ average levels) and state (individuals’ daily fluctuations). We examined actor and partner effects of emotion work and tested for gender differences. As outcome variables, we included six types of daily relationship quality: love, commitment, satisfaction, closeness, ambivalence, and conflict. This approach allowed us to predict three aspects of relationship quality: average levels, daily fluctuations, and volatility (overall daily variability across a week). Three patterns emerged. First, emotion work predicted relationship quality in this diverse set of couples. Second, gender differences were minimal for fixed effects: Trait and state emotion work predicted higher average scores on, and positive daily increases in, individuals’ own positive relationship quality and lower average ambivalence. Third, gender differences were more robust for volatility: For partner effects, having a partner who reported higher average emotion work predicted lower volatility in love, satisfaction, and closeness for women versus greater volatility in love and commitment for men. Neither gender nor emotion work predicted average levels, daily fluctuations, or volatility in conflict. We discuss implications and future directions pertaining to the unique role of gender in understanding the associations between daily emotion work and volatility in daily relationship quality for relational partners.
AB - We use the gender relations perspective from feminist theorizing to investigate how gender and daily emotion work predict daily relationship quality in 74 couples (148 individuals in dating, cohabiting, or married relationships) primarily from the southwest U.S. Emotion work is characterized by activities that enhance others’ emotional well-being. We examined emotion work two ways: trait (individuals’ average levels) and state (individuals’ daily fluctuations). We examined actor and partner effects of emotion work and tested for gender differences. As outcome variables, we included six types of daily relationship quality: love, commitment, satisfaction, closeness, ambivalence, and conflict. This approach allowed us to predict three aspects of relationship quality: average levels, daily fluctuations, and volatility (overall daily variability across a week). Three patterns emerged. First, emotion work predicted relationship quality in this diverse set of couples. Second, gender differences were minimal for fixed effects: Trait and state emotion work predicted higher average scores on, and positive daily increases in, individuals’ own positive relationship quality and lower average ambivalence. Third, gender differences were more robust for volatility: For partner effects, having a partner who reported higher average emotion work predicted lower volatility in love, satisfaction, and closeness for women versus greater volatility in love and commitment for men. Neither gender nor emotion work predicted average levels, daily fluctuations, or volatility in conflict. We discuss implications and future directions pertaining to the unique role of gender in understanding the associations between daily emotion work and volatility in daily relationship quality for relational partners.
KW - Daily diary
KW - Daily volatility
KW - Emotion work
KW - Gender
KW - Relationship quality
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84939258721&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11199-015-0495-8
DO - 10.1007/s11199-015-0495-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84939258721
SN - 0360-0025
VL - 73
SP - 157
EP - 173
JO - Sex Roles
JF - Sex Roles
IS - 3-4
ER -