Feminism and Couple Finance: Power as a Mediator Between Financial Processes and Relationship Outcomes

The Association Between Sexual Initiation and Membership in Dyadic Profiles of Perceived Shared Power

There is scarce empirical evidence examining whether sexual initiation and power are associated with each other. Utilizing latent profile analyses, we examined in a nationally representative sample of US newlywed heterosexual couples (N = 1,948 couples) whether wives' and husbands' sexual initiation patterns and satisfaction with these patterns were associated with membership in different profiles of wives' and husbands' perceptions of shared relational power while accounting for both partner's satisfaction with sexual frequency. We found four profiles of wives' and husbands' perceptions of power. The most common profile was when both wives and husbands perceived high levels of power compared to other profiles, but wives had significantly higher reports of perceived power than husbands (High Power, Wife Higher; 40.8%). Husbands' sexual initiation patterns were not associated with profile membership. Wives who reported equal sexual initiation patterns had a higher probability of being in the High Power, Wife Higher profile compared to the Wife Low Power, Husband Moderate Power profile. Both wives' and husbands' satisfaction with sexual initiation patterns were associated with profile membership. Wives and husbands that were satisfied with sexual initiation patterns had a higher probability of being in the High Power, Wife Higher profile compared to the profile where both wives and husbands had high perceptions of shared relational power compared to other profiles, but their scores were not significantly different from each other (High Power, Equal).

Which Came First, the Money or the Sex? Bidirectional, Indirect Associations between Financial Management Behaviors and Sexual Satisfaction among Newlywed Couples

Scholars have established connections between how married couples navigate their finances and their sexual relationship. For example, financial management behaviors are associated with sexual satisfaction among newlywed couples. However, we know very little about the direction of the association between financial management behaviors and sexual satisfaction. Understanding which might predict the other, or if there might be a bidirectional association between the two, could provide information on where to intervene to help newlywed couples with financial or sexual obstacles in their marriage. With three waves of dyadic data (N = 1,205 U.S. newlywed couples), we used structural equation modeling to examine the bidirectional, indirect associations between husbands' and wives' financial management behaviors and their own sexual satisfaction through their own marital satisfaction. Overall, we found that financial management behaviors indirectly predicted changes in sexual satisfaction through marital satisfaction for both husbands and wives. We also found limited evidence that husbands' sexual satisfaction indirectly predicted changes in their own financial management behaviors through their own marital satisfaction. Additionally, these indirect associations differed by gender. Partner effects, however, were largely non-significant. Implications of these findings for those who help newlywed couples with their sexual relationships are discussed.

When couples fight about money, what do they fight about?

Conflicts about money and finances can be destructive for both the quality and longevity of relationships. This paper reports on a descriptive analysis of the contents of financial conflicts in two samples. Study 1 examined severe financial conflicts in social media posts (N = 1014) from reddit (r/relationships). Eight themes were identified via thematic analysis: "unfair relative contributions" "who pays for joint expenses", "job and income", "exceptional expenses", "terms of financial arrangements", "discrepant financial values", "one-sided financial decisions", and "perceived irresponsibility". Study 2 examined reports of more mundane financial disagreements recalled by married individuals (N = 481). Seven themes were identified via thematic analysis: "relative contributions", "job and income", "different values", "exceptional expenses", "mundane expenses", "money management", and "perceived irresponsibility". In both samples, themes could be ordered along the dimensions of "concerns about fairness" and "concerns about responsibility". The association of relationship outcomes (perceived partner responsiveness, couple satisfaction) with each theme and demographic predictors (income, relationship length, shared finances) were explored. Independent t-tests suggested that participants who recalled disagreements fitting the themes at the extreme ends of the two dimensions ("unfair relative contributions" and "perceived irresponsibility") reported worse relationship outcomes. In contrast, participants recalling disagreements fitting the theme of "mundane expenses" reported better relationship outcomes.

Perceived financial burden is indirectly linked to sexual well-being via quality of life among couples seeking medically assisted reproduction

Introduction

Medically assisted reproduction is a difficult treatment process for couples both financially and sexually. Yet, these two domains have not been examined together among couples seeking treatment, leaving couples and practitioners without guidance on how to address these domains together.

Methods

In line with Couples and Finance Theory, we tested the hypothesis that perceived financial burden and couple income would predict quality of life during medically assisted reproduction, which would then predict four domains of sexual well-being (i.e., sexual satisfaction, desire, distress, and frequency). We also examined if the results differed by treatment status—that is, between partners who were receiving treatment and those who were not. Cross-sectional data from 120 couples who had undergone medically assisted reproduction in the past six months were analyzed via structural equation modeling through an actor-partner interdependence mediation model.

Results

An individual’s greater perceived financial burden predicted their own lower quality of life during medically assisted reproduction, which in turn predicted their lower sexual satisfaction, desire and distress, as well as their partner’s lower sexual satisfaction. Household income did not indirectly predict any sexual well-being domains, and results regarding treatment status were inconclusive.

Discussion

Clinicians can discuss with couples how perceived financial strain of medically assisted reproduction affects their quality of life and what ramifications that may have for their sexual well-being.

Bedtime and the Budget: Longitudinal, Actor-Partner Connections between Sleep Quality and Financial Management Behaviors in Newlywed Couples

Research from the American Psychological Association suggests that approximately 67% of U.S. adults are getting more or less sleep than desired, and over 80% of U.S. adults ages 18-43 are stressed about finances. Cross-sectional evidence suggests that there may be a connection between the two. That is, some cross-sectional research suggests a contemporaneous association between sleep quality and finances. Using two waves of newlywed dyadic data (N = 1497 couples), we estimated a longitudinal structural equation model to test actor-partner associations between husbands' and wives' sleep quality and financial management behaviors. In these associations, we examined husbands' and wives' marital satisfaction as potential mediating variables. We found that both husbands' and wives' sleep quality longitudinally predicted their own and their partner's financial management behaviors. Additionally, husbands' and wives' sleep quality-through wives' marital satisfaction-indirectly and longitudinally predicted wives' financial management behaviors. As financial practitioners encourage newlywed couples to consistently experience quality sleep, their financial management behaviors may benefit. We suggest that for newlywed couples, both partners' bedtime may be longitudinally connected to both partners' management of their budget.

"You Can Get Away with Anything Here… No Justice at All"- Sexual Violence Against U.S. Indigenous Females and Its Consequences

Sexual violence against Indigenous women has long been used as a tool of colonial violence and conquest. As a contemporary form of historical oppression that may drive associated health and mental health inequities, Indigenous women in the United States experience sexual violence at greater levels than the general population and at and twice the rate of Indigenous men. We use the Indigenous framework of historical oppression, resilience, and transcendence (FHORT) to understand Indigenous women's experiences of sexual violence and how it differentiates across ecological outcomes related to health and wellness. This exploratory sequential multimethod study with 563 participants (n = 436 qualitative and n = 127 quantitative survey participants) qualitatively explores how Indigenous peoples describe sexual violence and quantitatively investigates key differences across ecological outcomes of wellness related to sexual violence, including alcohol use and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results indicated that all participants (100 percent) who reported sexual violence were women. Thematic analysis of qualitative results revealed the themes related to familial, non-familial, and the historical oppression of a lack of accountability for perpetrators. Quantitative t-Tests results revealed that experiencing sexual violence was associated with significant differences across ecological dimensions of wellness including (a) structural: higher historical oppression, historical loss, oppression, and discrimination; (b) relational: higher adverse childhood experiences and stressful life events and lower family resilience and social support; (c) spiritual: lower spiritual-well-being and life satisfaction; and (d) psychological/behavioral: higher levels of alcohol use, PTSD, and lower levels of psychological resilience. Thus, sexual violence profoundly affected Indigenous women.

Latent profiles of sleep quality, financial management behaviors, and sexual satisfaction in emerging adult newlywed couples and longitudinal connections with marital satisfaction

Emerging adult newlywed couples often experience many demands on their time, and three common problems may surface as couples try to balance these demands—problems related to finances, sleep, and sex. We used two waves of dyadic data from 1,001 emerging adult newlywed couples to identify four dyadic latent profiles from husbands’ and wives’ financial management behaviors, sexual satisfaction, and sleep quality: Flounderers, Financially Challenged Lovers, Drowsy Budgeters, and Flourishers. We then examined how husbands’ and wives’ marital satisfaction, in relation to profile membership, varied at a later wave. We found that Financially Challenged Lovers and Flourishers had significantly higher marital satisfaction than Drowsy Budgeters and Flounderers (mostly medium effect sizes). Whereas, Financially Challenged Lovers and Flourishers did not differ in terms of marital satisfaction, Drowsy Budgeters seemed to have slightly higher marital satisfaction than Flounderers for wives only (small effect size). However, we did not find evidence that these connections meaningfully differed by sex. Implications for the efforts of clinicians and educators are discussed.

All Work and No Play: Indigenous Women "Pulling the Weight" in Home Life

The invisible labor of household management, including child care, housework, and financial responsibilities, is a contemporary form of historical oppression adding strain and contributing to mothers' role overload, depression, distress, and health impairments. The purpose of this article is to use the Framework of Historical Oppression, Resilience, and Transcendence to understand the experiences of gender dynamics in home life responsibilities among two Southeastern tribes. Reconstructive analysis from a critical ethnography with 436 participants revealed the following themes: (1) moms "mostly pulling the weight"; (2) women and child care: "We do it all," and men-"If they're there, they're there"; (3) financial imbalances; and (4) women's resilience and resistance. Despite experiencing the resilience of gender egalitarianism prior to colonization, women persistently experience the effects of the historical oppression of patriarchal colonialism through being overburdened and undervalued in home life. Decolonization is needed to re-establish gender egalitarianism to redress this patriarchal oppression.

Family Matters: Decade Review from Journal of Family and Economic Issues

This article reviews research regarding economic influences on a variety of family matters published in Journal of Family and Economic Issues from 2010 to 2019. As finances permeate nearly every facet of everyday life, scholarly research related to finances and family issues has spanned a wide array of topics. We briefly review research focused on the following 11 areas related to finances and family matters: (a) family formation decisions, (b) gender and relational power in family finances and relationships, (c) finances and fathers, (d) finances and mothers, (e) finances and parenting, (f) finances and elderly family members, (g) finances and couple relationships, (h) supporting family members financially, (i) how economic policy affects family, (j) economic roots of migration by family members, and (k) family financial socialization. As we enter a new decade, emphasis to directions for future research is given and integrated throughout. Recommendations specific to each of these topics are integrated into the discussion of the topic. Additional and more general recommendations for future research are offered as we conclude our review.

Invisible Household Labor and Ramifications for Adjustment: Mothers as Captains of Households

We address the issue of invisible labor in the home by examining how the distribution of the mental and emotional labor inherent to managing the household between spouses may be linked with women's well-being, including their satisfaction with life, partner satisfaction, feelings of emptiness, and experiencing role overload. In a sample of 393 U.S. married/partnered mothers, mostly of upper-middle class backgrounds with dependent children at home, results showed that a majority of women reported that they alone assumed responsibility for household routines involving organizing schedules for the family and maintaining order in the home. Some aspects of responsibilities related to child adjustment were primarily handled by mothers, including being vigilant of children's emotions, whereas other aspects were shared with partners, including instilling values in the children. Responsibility was largely shared for household finances. Regression analyses showed that after controlling for dimensions of emotional and physical intimacy, feeling disproportionately responsible for household management, especially child adjustment, was associated with strains on mothers' personal well-being as well as lower satisfaction with the relationship. The implications of our work highlight the need to consider the burden of household management on mothers' well-being and speak to mothers' own needs for support and care as the primary manager of the household. In future research on division of labor, it will be useful to measure these critical but often neglected dimensions of who coordinates the household, given potential ramifications of this dimension for the quality of marriages and women's personal well-being.