Midlife Marriage: Sex Differences in Evaluation and Perspectives

Perceptions of marital relations are examined in a white middle and lower-middle class sample representing three life stages: newlyweds, middle-aged parents facing the empty nest, and persons about to retire. Descriptions of spouses are analyed in terms of positive/negative evaluations and the respective importance given to role and interpersonal components of the marital relationship. Middle aged respondents were shown to place greater emphasis on role performance than did the remaining groups, and middle-aged women gave the least positive evaluations of marriage. Midlife marital satisfaction is examined in relationship to affect toward children, socioeconomic status, value orientations, and life satisfaction.