At least since the Industrial Revolution, gender roles have
been in a state of transition. As a result, cultural scripts about marriage have
undergone change. One of the more obvious changes has occurred in the roles that
women 1 . Women have moved into the
world of work and have become adept at meeting expectations in that arena, while
maintaining their family roles of nurturing and creating a (n) 2 that is a haven for all family members.
3 many women experience strain from
trying to "do it all," they often enjoy the increased rewards that can result
from playing multiple roles. As women’s roles have changed, changing
expectations about men’s roles have become more 4
Many men are relinquishing their major responsibility 5 the family provider. Probably the most
significant change in men’s roles, however, is in the emotional 6 of family life. Men are increasingly expected
to meet the emotional needs of their families, especially their wives.
In fact, expectations about the emotional domain of marriage have become
more significant for marriage in general. Research on
7 marriage has changed over recent decades points to the
increasing importance of the emotional side of the relationships and the
importance of sharing in the "emotion work" 8
to nourish marriages and other family relationships. Men and
women want to experience marriages that are interdependent,
9 both partners nurture each other, attend and respond to
each other, and encourage and promote each other. We are thus seeing marriages
in which men’s and women’s roles are becoming increasingly more 10