| Frances E. Brandau-Brown: | |
| Name: | Frances E. Brandau-Brown |
| Academic Institution: | Sam Houston State University |
| Co-autores/Co-authors: | J. Donald Ragsdale, Sam Houston State University |
| email: | fbb@shsu.edu |
| Country: | Estados Unidos/United States |
| Paper Title | Two Cultures: A Gendered Approach to Commitment and Relational Repair in Marriage |
| Abstract: | This study presents the construct of relational repair in marriage grounded in accommodation theory, including an instrument developed to measure repair. The instrument has four factors derived from a sample of married people: assurances, openness, time, and punishments. Based on the connection between sex differences and the use of relational maintenance strategies, the study also assesses the role of sex differences in repair factors. Because women have been found to be more accommodative than men, it asks a research question regarding the connection between levels of commitment and sex. The hypothesis that there are important sex differences in the use of relational repair strategies was supported, with women using each type of repair significantly more than men. No connection was found between sex differences and levels of commitment. The results are interpreted within the larger framework of the “two cultures” theory of sex differences, wherein males and females are regarded as co-cultures. |