ABSTRACT
Transitional couples are characterized by a decided shift in the wife’s power, a rejection of the traditional role of wife, and the attempt to create a more equal structure. The shift in the traditional power structure creates a vacuum and leaves these relationships vulnerable to power struggles. Straining to maintain fairness, couples often rely on methods that only intensify tension, such as fifty-fifty accounting. Partners can differ between themselves on the degree to which sharing is desired, as well as on their definitions. Often there is a gap between their aspirations and the constrictions of deeply held gendered beliefs. Couples may sincerely want to share household chores, but the wife wants things done her way, or the husband resents being told what to do. Sharing may evaporate when the outside world impinges in the form of increased work demands on the husband, or when the couple experiences internal structural change, such as the birth of an additional child.
