Absolute and Relative Relationships with Parents and Parents-In-Law and Their Associations with Marital closeness in Korea

Abstract

In this study, we examined how various reciprocal relationships between parents and parents-in-law were associated with marital closeness among adult daughters and sons by identifying how power dynamics were connected to gender in Korean families. Using the 2019 Seoul Family Report Survey data, we analyzed 692 people who had spouses, at least one parent and parent-in-law, and did not reside with either side of parents (335 women, 357 men). Using separate multiple regression analyses according to gender, we found that the absolute and relative levels of relationship with both sides of parents had different associations with marital closeness. Relative intergenerational relationships were more closely related to women's marital closeness than those of men. Additionally, the associations between intergenerational relationships and marital closeness were complex across the affectionate, functional, and instrumental dimensions of intergenerational relationships. These results suggest that Korean couples' marital life can be better understood when the power imbalance in the reciprocal relationships between both parents and parents-in-law is evaluated from the perspective of gender.