The effect of parenthood on marital satisfaction

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether parenthood has an effect on marital satisfaction and whether this would differ amongst different demographic groups within the local context. The sample (n=185) used in this research was made up of males and females who are married with children. Results indicate that the transition to parenthood does cause a slight dip in marital satisfaction, however not enough to state that the couples are unhappy, only slightly less happy than other periods. Findings also suggest that the changes in marital satisfaction during the transition to parenthood differ amongst different demographic groups. Future research is needed in order to explore the nature of these results since they cannot be generalised to the whole population, due to the small sample size.