Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Gender Differences in Marital and Life Satisfaction among Chinese Malaysians

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined gender differences in marital and life satisfaction in a convenience sample of 425 Chinese Malaysian men (41%) and women (59%). Consistent with findings in many Western cultures, gender role theory predictions were supported in this study. While controlling for age and education, MANCOVA tests revealed men reporting higher levels of marital satisfaction than women, whereas gender differences in life satisfaction were not found. Hierarchical regression analyses showed marital satisfaction significantly predicted life satisfaction for both men and women, but the influence was greater for women. Results are discussed with reference to the Chinese Malaysian cultural context.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahmad, A. (1996). Work–family conflict among married professional women in Malaysia. The Journal of Social Psychology, 136, 663–665.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alston, J. P., & Dudley, C. J. (1973). Age, occupation, and life satisfaction. The Gerontologist, 13, 58–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernard, J. (1972). The future of marriage. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blake, W. M., & Darling, C. A. (2000). Quality of life: perceptions of African Americans. Journal of Black Studies, 30, 411–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chee, H. L. (1999). Women in Malaysia: Present struggles and future directions. In C. Ng (Ed.), Positioning women in Malaysia (pp. 169–189). New York: St. Martin’s Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, S.-T. (2004). Age and subjective well-being revisited: a discrepancy perspective. Psychology and Aging, 19, 409–415.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, C.-K., & Leung, K.-K. (2004). Forming life satisfaction among different social groups during the modernization of China. Journal of Happiness Studies, 5, 23–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chin, U. H. (2000). The Chinese of South-East Asia. United Kingdom: Minority Rights Group International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Croll, E. (1995). Changing identities of Chinese women: Rhetoric, experience, and self-perception. London: Zed Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Department of Statistics Malaysia (2001). Population and housing census 2000. Retrieved March 12, 2007, from http://www.statistics.gov.my/english/census/pressdemo.htm.

  • Department of Statistics Malaysia (2007). Labour force statistics, Malaysia, 2006. Retrieved May 23, 2008, from http://www.statistics.gov.my/filesburuh/download.php?cat=1&id_file=0

  • Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: the science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. The American Psychologist, 55, 34–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., & Suh, E. M. (1998). Subjective well-being and age: an international analysis. Annual Review of Gerontology, 17, 304–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dillaway, H., & Broman, C. (2001). Race, class, and gender differences in marital satisfaction and divisions of household labor among dual-earner couples. Journal of Family Issues, 22, 309–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dorahy, M. J., Schumake, J. F., Simpson, P. L., & Deshpande, C. G. (1996). Depression and life satisfaction in India and Australia. Journal of Personality and Clinical Studies, 12, 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Easterlin, R. A. (2006). Life cycle happiness and its sources: intersections of psychology, economics, and demography. Journal of Economic Psychology, 27, 463–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fowers, B. J. (1991). His and her marriage: a multivariate study of gender and marital satisfaction. Sex Roles, 24, 209–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gove, W. R., & Tudor, J. F. (1973). Adult sex roles and mental illness. American Journal of Sociology, 78, 812–835.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gove, W. R., Hughes, M., & Style, C. B. (1983). Does marriage have positive effects on the psychological well-being of the individual? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 122–131.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gove, W. R., Style, C. B., & Hughes, M. (1990). The effect of marriage on the well-being of adults: a theoretical analysis. Journal of Family Issues, 11, 4–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J. F., Black, B., Babin, B., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2006). Multivariate data analysis (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamarat, E., Thompson, D., Zabrucky, K. M., Steele, D., & Matheny, K. B. (2001). Perceived stress and coping resource availability as predictors of life satisfaction in young, middle-age, and older adults. Experimental Aging Research, 27, 181–196.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haring, M. J., Stock, W. A., & Okun, M. A. (1984). A research synthesis of gender and social class as correlates of subjective well-being. Human Relations, 37, 645–657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howell, C. J., Howell, R. T., & Schwabe, K. A. (2006). Does wealth enhance life satisfaction for people who are materially deprived? Exploring the association among the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia. Social Indicators Research, 76, 499–524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1995). Evaluating model fit. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and application (pp. 76–99). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson, G., Simson, D. T., Bain, B. C., Wyatte, G. E., Tucker, M. B., & Lefranc, E. (2004). Social and health determinants of well being and life satisfaction in Jamaica. The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 50, 43–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Glaser, R., Cacioppo, J. T., & Malarkey, W. B. (1998). Marital stress: immunologic, neuroendocrine, and autonomic correlates. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 840, 656–663.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Glaser, R., Cacioppo, J. T., MacCallum, R. C., Snydersmith, M., Kim, C., et al. (1997). Marital conflict in older adults: endocrinological and immunological correlates. Psychosomatic Medicine, 59, 339–349.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H. K., & McKenry, P. C. (2002). The relationship between marriage and psychological well-being: a longitudinal analysis. Journal of Family Issues, 23, 885–911.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kung, W. (2000). The intertwined relationship between depression and marital distress: elements of marital therapy conducive to effective treatment outcome. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 26, 51–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Le, H.-N., Berenbaum, H., & Raghavan, C. (2002). Culture and alexithymia: mean levels, correlates, and the role of parental socialization of emotions. Emotion (Washington, DC), 2, 341–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mead, D. E. (2002). Marital distress, co-occurring depression, and marital therapy: a review. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 28, 299–314.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mickelson, K. D., Claffey, S. T., & Williams, S. L. (2006). The moderating role of gender and gender role attitudes on the link between spousal support and marital quality. Sex Roles, 55, 73–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mroczek, D. K., & Spiro, A. (2005). Change in life satisfaction during adulthood: findings from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 189–202.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neto, F., & Barros, J. (2007). Satisfaction with life among adolescents from Portuguese immigrant families in Switzerland. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 66, 215–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noor, N. M. (1999). Roles and women’s well-being: some preliminary findings from Malaysia. Sex Roles, 41, 123–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noor, N. M. (2006). Malaysian women’s state of well-being: empirical validation of a conceptual model. The Journal of Social Psychology, 146, 95–115.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Overseas Chinese Confederation (2007). Distribution of the overseas Chinese population. Retrieved March 12, 2007, from http://www.overseaschineseconfederation.org/databses_popdis.html.

  • Pan, L. (Ed.) (1999). The encyclopedia of Chinese overseas. Great Britain: Curzon.

  • Parker, K. D., & Calhoun, T. (1996). Predictors of life satisfaction among black Americans. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 20, 134–139.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (1993). Review of the satisfaction with life scale. Psychological Assessment, 5, 164–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavot, W., Diener, E., Colvin, C. R., & Snadvik, E. (1991). Further validation of the satisfaction with life scale: evidence for the cross-method convergence of well-being measures. Journal of Personality Assessment, 57, 149–161.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Phang, H. E. (2000). The economic role of the Chinese in Malaysia. In K. H. Lee, & C. B. Tan (Eds.), The Chinese in Malaysia (pp. 94–122). Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pimentel, E. E. (2000). Just how do I love thee? Marital relations in urban China. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 32–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Proulx, C. M., Helms, H. M., & Buehler, C. (2007). Marital quality and personal well-being: a meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 69, 576–593.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roces, M., & Edwards, L. (2000). Contesting gender narratives, 1970–2000. In L. Edwards, & M. Roces (Eds.), Women in Asia: tradition, modernity, and globalization (pp. 1–15). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saginak, K. A., & Saginak, M. A. (2005). Balancing work and family: equity, gender, and marital satisfaction. The Family Journal (Alexandria, Va.), 13, 162–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schumm, W. R., Paff-Bergen, L. A., Hatch, R. C., Obiorah, F. C., Copeland, J. M., Meens, L. D., et al. (1986). Concurrent and discriminant validity of the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48, 381–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shachar, R. (1991). His and her marital satisfaction: the double standard. Sex Roles, 25, 451–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shek, D. T. L. (1995). Gender differences in marital quality and well-being in Chinese married adults. Sex Roles, 32, 699–715.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shek, D. T. L. (1999). Marital quality and health of Chinese couples in a Chinese context: a longitudinal study. Journal of Gender, Culture, and Health, 4, 83–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shek, D. T. L. (2006). Chinese family research: puzzles, progress, paradigms, and policy implications. Journal of Family Issues, 27, 275–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shek, D. T. L., & Tsang, S. (1993). The Chinese version of the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale: some psychometric and normative data. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 21, 205–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W. (2002). Revisiting the relationships among gender, marital status, and mental health. American Journal of Sociology, 107, 1065–1096.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suhail, K. (2004). Predictors of subjective well-being in an Eastern Muslim culture. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23, 359–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swami, V., Chamorro-Premuzic, T., Sinniah, D., Maniam, T., Kannan, K., Stanistreet, D., et al. (2007). General health mediates the relationship between loneliness, life satisfaction and depression: a study with Malaysian medical students. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 41, 161–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. B. (2004). Chinese overseas: Comparative cultural issues. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsou, M.-W., & Liu, J.-T. (2001). Happiness and domain satisfaction in Taiwan. Journal of Happiness Studies, 2, 269–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tu, W. M. (1998). Probing the “three bonds” and “five relationships” in Confucian humanism. In W. H. Slote, & G. A. DeVos (Eds.), Confucianism and the family (pp. 121–136). Albany: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • US Department of State (2008). Background note: Malaysia. Retrieved May 23, 2008, from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ci/bgn/2777.htm.

  • Umberson, D. (1992). Gender, marital status and the social control of health behavior. Social Science & Medicine, 34, 907–917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umberson, D., & Williams, K. (2005). Marital quality, health, and aging: gender equity? Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 60B(Special issue II), 109–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Umberson, D., Williams, K., Powers, D. A., Liu, H., & Needham, B. (2006). You make me sick: marital quality and health over the life course. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 47, 1–16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whisman, M. A. (2001). The association between depression and marital dissatisfaction. In S. R. H. Beach (Ed.), Marital and family processes in depression: A scientific foundation for clinical practice (pp. 3–24). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, D. G. (1988). Gender, marriage and psychosocial well-being. Journal of Family Issues, 9, 452–468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, K. (2003). Has the future of marriage arrived? A contemporary examination of gender, marriage, and psychological well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44, 470–487.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, X., & Lai, S. C. (2004). Gender ideologies, marital roles, and marital quality in Taiwan. Journal of Family Issues, 25, 318–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, X., & Whyte, M. K. (1990). Love matches and arranged marriages: a Chinese replication. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 709–722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, Y., & Burleson, B. R. (2001). Effect of sex, culture, and support type on perceptions of spousal social support: an assessment of the “support gap” hypothesis in early marriage. Human Communication Research, 27(4), 535–566.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ying, Y.-W. (1991). Marital satisfaction among San Francisco Chinese-Americans. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 37, 201–213.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, L. (2005). Prediction of Chinese life satisfaction: contribution of collective self-esteem. International Journal of Psychology, 40, 189–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

The study was partially funded by a research grant provided by NBCC Foundation, an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA

    Kok-Mun Ng

  2. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Johnben Teik-Cheok Loy & Clinton G. Gudmunson

  3. HELP University College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    WinNee Cheong

Authors
  1. Kok-Mun Ng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Johnben Teik-Cheok Loy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Clinton G. Gudmunson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. WinNee Cheong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kok-Mun Ng.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ng, KM., Loy, J.TC., Gudmunson, C.G. et al. Gender Differences in Marital and Life Satisfaction among Chinese Malaysians. Sex Roles 60, 33–43 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9503-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9503-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation