To what extent do attitudes to work and the subjective components of non-work contribute to the life satisfaction of men and women in dual-earner couples?

SynopsisThis study aimed to investigate how aspects of work (job satisfaction and work load) and subjective components of non-work (health, self-satisfaction) affect or enhance the life satisfaction of couples. In a sample of 59 dual-earner couples with at least one school-aged child, the relationship between work and family was studied to see how men and women manage to combine both. More specifically, the level of life-satisfaction of men and women was compared together with its determining factors. The study clearly shows that differences continue to exist in the household tasks and parental roles of men and women. The main finding of this study is the importance of the partner's life satisfaction, which appears to be a significant predictor of life satisfaction for both men and women. Also and more surprisingly, other variables such as tiredness and health satisfaction are not associated with life satisfaction for either men or women. Finally, self-satisfaction is only related to life satisfaction for women. Implications for future research are discussed.