Gendered Associations of Decision-Making Power, Topic Avoidance, and Relational Satisfaction: A Differential Influence Model

This study proposed a differential influence model of relational satisfaction. According to this model, decision-making power has gender-invariant associations with satisfaction in heterosexual relationships, while topic avoidance has stronger influences on females than males. Two hundred and ninety-two participants (nested in 146 heterosexual couples) completed surveys about decision-making power, complaint-related topic avoidance, and relationship satisfaction. For both males and females, satisfaction was greatest when decision-making power was balanced. While males’ avoidance was not associated with their satisfaction, females’ avoidance partially mediated the association of power with satisfaction, and also predicted males’ satisfaction. Results provided preliminary support for the differential influence model.