Stability and change in the marital relationship during the transition to parenthood: The role of violated expectations regarding emotional support and the division of household labor

This research combined a longitudinal sample of expectant parents with a nonpregnant sample of married couples to delineate areas of stability and change during the transition to parenthood. A sample of 50 couples expecting their first child completed questionnaires during the second trimester of pregnancy and again at four months postpartum. Twenty couples who were planning to have a first child within three years of the study completed similar questionnaires. As predicted, positive aspects of the marital relationship declined and conflict increased after the birth. Comparisons of the longitudinal and nonpregnant samples suggested, however, that some positive aspects of the relationship increased during pregnancy and returned to baseline levels postpartum, while sexual intimacy and the division of household labor appeared to be more dramatically affected by the transition to parenthood. Regression analyses examining the impact of violated expectations regarding emotional support from spouse revealed that both men and women had lower marital satisfaction postpartum when their spouse was less available and supportive than they expected. Contrary to previous findings, violated expectations regarding housework and child care were not related to postpartum feelings about the marriage for the overall sample. It was found, however, that violated expectations for the division of housework and child care were experienced differently by women depending on individual and couple flexibility. Finally, the amount of discussion couples had prior to the birth regarding the postpartum division of housework affected both expectations and the impact of violated expectations on postpartum conflict. The findings suggest that violated expectations and individual differences help explain changes in the marital relationships during the transition to parenthood.