American Indian wives' perceptions of agreement consensus: A study of marital power.

Abstract

Social scientists have traditionally based their study of marital power on western patriarchal notions of power. Concepts of power between wives and husbands have been measured by outcomes of decision making with economic and emotional resources within a marriage conditioning the relationship between gender and decision making. Feminist critiques of this research have argued that women have power in relationships that is unrecognized, devalued, or neglected by dominant research agendas. Additionally, the research on marital power ignores differences between racial/ethnic groups. Racial/ethnic theorists suggest that what is considered powerlessness in the dominant social structure may be a position of power within a racial/ethnic group. Using a sample of married American Indian women, this research explores women's perceptions of power within American Indian marriages. Quantitative analyses of gender role orientation, cooperative disagreement behavior, and feelings about their marriages suggests that the American Indian women in this sample appear to hold opinions and attitudes similar to European-based orientations toward gender roles and gendered division of labor. However, analysis of open-ended questions and wives' explanations of responses gives a different picture of marital power. This research not only contributes to closing the gap in investigating marital power relations in minority marriages, but will be useful in developing culturally sensitive programs and interventions targeted toward improving the health and wellbeing of American Indian families.