Men dependent on women less happy

SWPS students Roksana Pałucka i Kamila Rykaczewska, supervised by Dr. Joanna Roszak, analysed life satisfaction assessment of persons financially dependent and independent in a relationship. The university spokeswoman Natalia Osica informed PAP about the research.

The study showed that although the stereotype of "femininity" is evolving, "masculinity" continues to be perceived rather traditionally. The experiment results on one hand confirm the culturally fixed pattern of perception of men in society as persons who provide for family and home, on the other show changes in thinking about women.

In the experiment, participants were asked to assess life satisfaction of a person financially independent or dependent on his or her partner. The researchers assumed that higher assessment by a participant would be the expression of acceptance for a way of life. During the experiment, women evaluated the life situation of women and men that of men.

According to the participants, men financially independent from their partner are much more satisfied with life than those who have to count on material support of women.

In turn, in the responses of women respondents there were no clear differences in the assessment of financially dependent and independent women. Thus, according to women respondents, the level of life satisfaction of women may be high, regardless of which of the two possible situations they are in.

Dr. Joanna Roszak, social psychologist at SWPS and the study leader believes that these results may indirectly indicate a slower evolution of the stereotype of "masculinity" among the surveyed men. The perception of "masculinity" in the traditional manner probably resulted in the low life satisfaction scores of men financially dependent on their partners.

According to Roszak, the results may also indicate the extension of the stereotype of "femininity", in which, in the view of respondents, both the traditional and the non-stereotypical woman have an equal chance of being satisfied with life.

The study also showed that the more egalitarian approach to gender roles of respondents, the higher is their assessment of life satisfaction of people outside of traditional social roles.

The experiment was carried out in December 2010 on a group of 80 students of both sexes. The results will be published in spring 2012 in the book "Travels between Femininity and Masculinity".

Source: PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland