ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to shed some light on this debate by analyzing contrasting patterns of marriages within the Detroit sample. Although there are modest differences between black and white wives, there is no clear evidence that major disparities in marriage values exist across generations, or that important changes in marital values are occurring in American society. Still, lack of total conjugal involvement or merging of identity with one’s spouse may not indicate an unsatisfying marriage, for most respondents may not have as their marital ideal a notion of intense conjugal involvement. Working wives were significantly less likely than housewives to be the exclusive preparers of their husbands’ breakfasts, the cooks for dinners, and the washers of dishes, and they were also somewhat more likely to report sharing the management of money and bills. The division of household chores between couples is often seen as a major point of tension in family life.
