Comparison of Equity between Satisfied and Conflicting Couples

The purpose of this study was to survey and compare the principle of equity between satisfied and conflicting couples in Bandar Abbas, Iran. This study is descriptive with a causal-comparative method. The statistical society of the research involved the couples who referred to the counseling clinics and those who attended family workshops held by the Department of Social Welfare in Bandar Abbas. The sample included 100 couples (50 satisfied and 50 conflicting) who were selected via convenience sampling. The subjects responded to researcher-made marital equity questionnaire and Hudson (1982) Index of Marital Satisfaction (IMS). Validity and reliability of both questionnaires were satisfactory. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the findings. The main findings of the study showed that concerning equity and its components there were significant differences among the two groups of satisfied couples and conflicting couples. Moreover, concerning equity and all its components, except for equity in paying attention to each other’s demands, were found significant difference among the two groups of men and women, whereby women experienced more inequity in their marital relationship. Despite the egalitarian changes in labor division and power structure in the Iranian family, many of the gender stereotypes and power division still survive, which has led to dissatisfaction among couples, especially women.