Gendered Power and Marital Conflict Resolution: Insights from Newlywed Couples in Vietnam

Marital conflict resolution is a critical dimension of gender relations within families, as it reflects negotiations of power, norms and emotional labor that shape marital stability and gender equality. In the context of rapid socio-economic change in Vietnam, understanding how newlywed couples manage marital conflicts offers important insights into the persistence and transformation of gender power dynamics in intimate relationships. This article investigates the gender relations invovled in managing marital conflicts among newlywed couples in Vietnam. It explores how gender influences marital conflict resolution among newlywed couples in Vietnam, drawing on in-depth interviews with 26 couples from both rural and urban areas. The findings reveal gendered differences in both the origins of marital conflicts and spouses’ responses to them. Women and men had various strategies, including confrontation and avoidance, but these strategies were embedded in unequal power relations. Influenced by gender norms, women were more involved in conflict management, often enduring suffering and making personal sacrifices to maintain marital harmony. In contrast, men tended to prioritize personal interests and show limited behavioral adjustment, relying on women’s accommodation to contain marital tensions. Overall, marital conflict management reflects an unequal power dynamic in which women bear a disproportionate burden of sustaining family harmony.