MARITAL ADJUSTMENT AND ANXIETY

AMONG WORKING AND NON WORKING

MARRIED WOMEN

A Dissertation
Submitted in
Partial fulfillment of the requirement
For the award of the Degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
(In Psychology)

Supervisor: Submitted by:

Dr Sandhya Gupta Ms. Harshita Awasthi
Associate Professor

Department Of Psychology
BANASTHALI VIDYAPITH
RAJASTHAN-304022
2019-2020
 Dedicated

I want to dedicate this dissertation to, my mentor and supervisor, Dr.

Sandhya Gupta for always picking me up over everything, again and again and

for never leaving me alone. I, honestly, can never thank her enough for helping

me grow and teaching me how to build a shelter for myself, when I had none.

Thank you for accepting me with all my imperfections and for always showering

me with your care and blessings.

I also dedicate this research to my loving parents, Mrs. Shobhana and Dr.

Alok Awasthi, for making me understand the value of hard work and for

teaching me to be persistent and never ever give up. Both of them have

provided me with their immense support throughout the process. Thank you so

much for being the light and the hope that I carry with myself each day.
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Miss Harshita Awasthi has satisfactorily

worked under my guidance for the research project entitled “Marital

Adjustment and Anxiety among Working and Non-working Married

Women”. It is the genuine work of the candidate herself and it has not been

submitted previously.

(Dr. Sandhya Gupta)

Associate Professor
Department of Psychology,
Banasthali Vidyapith
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Miss Harshita Awasthi has satisfactorily

worked under Dr. Sandhya Gupta for the research project entitled “Marital

Adjustment and Anxiety among Working and Non-working Married

Women”. It is the genuine work of the candidate herself and it has not been

submitted previously.

(Dr. Santosh Meena)

Head of the Department
Department of Psychology,
Banasthali Vidyapith
 DECLARATION

I, Miss Harshita Awasthi, Student, Department of Psychology,

Banasthali Vidyapith, declare that this research project entitled “Marital

Adjustment and Anxiety among Working and Non-working Married

Women” is my own work and that it has not been submitted previously.

Dated: (Miss Harshita Awasthi)

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Prima facea, I am grateful to the God for the good health and wellbeing
that were necessary to complete this Research Dissertation.

I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards

to my guide Dr. Sandhya Gupta for her exemplary guidance, monitoring and
constant encouragement throughout the course of this project. The blessing, help
and guidance given by her time to time shall carry me a long way in the journey
of life on which I am about to embark.

I place on record, my sincere thanks to Dr. Santosh Meena, H.O.D,

Department of Psychology and other faculties for the continuous
encouragement.

I am also obliged to Mr. Chandra Prakash Kanojia for the valuable

information provided by him in the technical field. I am grateful for all their
cooperation during the period of my assignment.

I would also thank my family for their constant encouragement without

which this research work would not be possible.

Last but not the least; I would also like to thank all my friends who have
been a constant support in my sojourn of life.

I also place on record, my sense of gratitude to one and all, who directly
or indirectly, have lent their hand in this venture.
 CONTENTS
Page
No.
1. INTRODUCTION

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4. RESULTS

5. DISCUSSION

6. REFERENCES
INTRODUCTION
 Contemporary life is very rapid and full of competition. The whole world is looking

for recognition, money, victory and glory. This combat of attainment is made extra

challenging by the variations that are repetitively happening round the world like mechanical,

technical, economical and industrial changes. These variations have promoted quality and

manner of existence through development but on the dimmer side it places a great demand on

our portion to go further than our lines and attain everything imaginable. To deal with these

rising benchmarks of life it becomes necessary for both the companions to earn so as to afford

a proper living. Currently, there appears to be a rise in the quantity of working women.

Educated females nowadays strive for career in the areas which were dominated by males.

Despite this modern change in the gender and professional roles of women, there still subsists

a huge part of society which is of the opinion that even though a woman is greatly educated,

her key and single aim in life is to watch over her family, husband and children. This throws

light on “housewives”, a class of women who don‟t work outside their homes. Housewives

work unremittingly; doing all the housework like chopping, cooking, cleaning, nursing and

what not; managing it all to perfection. Nonetheless, regrettably, in most of the circumstances,

women are maltreated gravely and the significance of women in our society is undervalued.

Besides psychological, economical studies have also delivered substantial indications

that being without a job unfavorably disturbs an individual‟s wellbeing. Multiple researches

have also shown that non-working people, as compared to working people, are at a higher risk

to undergo anxiety; hopelessness; aggression; suspicion; loss of self-confidence; decline in

self-esteem; poorer rational and reasoning performance; loss of inspiration; learned

helplessness; lesser cheerfulness; suicidal ideation; lower levels of handling; psychosomatic

complications; and behavioral problems (Goldsmith et al., 1997; Layard, 2005; Theodossiou,
1997; Flatau et al., 2000; Morrell et al., 1998; Creed et al., 1999; Shamir, 1986; Murphy and

Athanasou, 1999).

In the current scenario of India, a sole earning is not ample any longer to run the

family and in-turn wives incomes have turned out to be of vital importance. In these freshly

picked up roles, the hurdles encountered by working women are dissimilar than those of non-

working women, for, mostly, the working women‟s manifold role involvement disrupts

anticipations of others and their boundless array of demands. Regardless of the working status

of a woman, the society in which we live still envisions her as the chief caretaker of the

household, family and children and hence a working woman is bound to perform a twofold

role of a homemaker and an employee. While accomplishing these dual duties, working

women face complications in managing their time accordingly in order to complete their

domestic chores adequately, take proper care of their family, husband and children, and also

cope with the obstacles and deadlines in their work as an employee, all of which leads to role

conflict. Various researches have also put forward that this role burden leads to depression,

stress, anxiety and conflict amid partners. Conflict between fulfilling role demands is often

encountered by working women (Begum & Tasneem, 1984). When a career oriented woman

is not able to meet the roles and expectations effectively, she undergoes guilt, depression,

stress, anxiety and difficulties in marital adjustment. According to Bloustein (1968), a modern

and career oriented woman is often told that she can pool her family and marital life with a

job, but then again on each step she has to cope with hurdles of unfairness, bigotry and

institutional support. The story of housewives is not much different either; generally they are

full of activity in their domestic deeds, such as taking care of her in- laws and husband, being

a procreator of children, arranging meals, cleaning and so on. As a consequence she is not
capable of finding out time for herself and her marital life which leads to problems in marital

adjustment.

Marriage has certain purposes to live up to and it is one of the most crucial

relationships between a man and a woman as it comprises of legal and emotional vow that is

pretty essential in adult life. Thus, various descriptions of marriage are there which state its

multiple aims. The goals of marriage as pointed out by Dr. Hannah M. Stone and Abraham

Stone are, “Men and women may marry for any number of individual reasons. Basically,

however, they seek in marriage three main objectives - a stable, permanent association based

on mutual affection, on love and companionship; sexual intimacy and procreation are then, at

least the main motives of the marriage.” Focus on subjective happiness is laid by Judson T.

Landies and Mary G. Landies in the subsequent words – “Most people, when they marry are

concerned primarily with their own happiness as a pair. More realistically, we should say that

at marriage, each individual is hoping to be happy and to receive certain benefits from

marriage.” Iwao Hoshii in The World of Sex – Vol. I Sexual Equality, define marriage as

“Marriage is a process of exploration conflict and compromise in which two partners live,

grow and mature or wither and decay together.” Marriage, according to Lehner and Cube, is,

“When people marry, they enter into new relationship, yet they bring to it the same behavior

patterns, needs and attitudes that characterized their former relationship.” Fred McKinney, in

Psychology of Personal Adjustment 3rd edition, describe marriage as, “Marriage in its best

form usually is the culmination of romantic love and courtship, with some sublimation of the

sex impulses. It is a fusion of relationship existent in friendship companionship and sexual

attraction.”
 The purposes of marriage can be summed up from the different definitions given

directly above and the objectives are as follows –

 Constant and everlasting connection of companions

 Shared warmth, love and attachment.

 Sexual closeness and reproduction.

 Individual contentment of husband and wife.

 Unification of two individuals.

 Clashes and cooperation.

 New association amid husband and wife.

 Culmination of passionate affection and courtship.

Therefore, a pleasant bond between significant others is referred to as marriage and marriage

conveys love, warmth, friendship, affection and maximum fulfillment of essential needs of

life. This gratification can be attained through the mutual efforts of partners.

Adjustment is a permanent course of interaction and causation relation can be

witnessed in this process. The process of interaction between an individual and his

surroundings is known as his personal adjustment. In it, an individual can either acclimate to

his settings or alter them. Moreover, one can not only alter and modify his or her environment

(directly or indirectly) but he can also modify his own conduct. Pleasing relationships and

subjective adjustment can be attained by effective interaction. The environment of an

individual primarily comprises of his family members and one can unconsciously attain some

ways of adjustment by intermingling with his family. The constant interaction with oneself,

with other individuals and with the world can be referred to as adjustment.
MARITAL ADJUSTMENT

According to Landis (1946), “Marital adjustment refers to the state of accommodation

which is achieved in different areas where conflict may exist in marriage.” Marital

adjustment, as per Locke and Williamson, is defined as “An adoption between husband and

wife to the point where there is companionship, agreement on basic values, affection,

intimacy, accommodation, euphoria, and certain other unidentified factors.” Marital

adjustment is an extremely intricate phenomenon and no one specific factor is there which

entirely influences the success of matrimony. There are numerous factors which promote

marital success and contentment. Based on several researches, the following determinants of

marital adjustment are stated by Fred McKinney –

 Likeness in interests and outlooks.

 Fiscal attitudes.

 Similarity in individual characteristics.

 Jovial domestic background.

 Similarity in learning and social background.

 Satisfactory, ample and adequate amount of sex and passionate interests.

 Similarity of emotive understandings. interpersonal relations

 Premarital medical inspection, counseling and treatment.

 Regular premarital analysis of compatibility.

Thus, it can be said that spousal adjustment rests on the shared interaction and mindful and

conscious effort of husband and wife to accomplish marital happiness, contentment and

adjustment. Both intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships are likely to affect marital

adjustment. Pleasant relations must be sustained between the partners and the family members
in order to attain marital adjustment. People enter into matrimony due to numerous aims, like;

love, pleasure, companionship, and the longing to have children, physical desirability, or wish

to elude from an inappropriate state. A general feeling of contentment and satisfaction, in

spouses, with each other and with their marriage can be termed as the state of marital

adjustment (Sinha and Mukherjee). In one manner or the other, the objective of all the

matrimonies is happiness. A relationship amid couples is not instant but a gradual process.

Discontentment in married life is similar to the unnoticed cancer that destroys mutely and

softly.

Traditionally, in India, marriage was regarded as a ritual, binding together two entities

into a sanctified and eternal relationship. Due to this notion, marital adjustment was not

considered as an obstacle by married individuals. Rather than splitting with each other in the

episodes of disparities and dissimilarities, they used to compromise amid themselves.

Marriage was more of a social responsibility towards the relatives, family or community

rather than being meant for personal satisfaction, wellbeing, desires and aspirations.

According to Kapur (1970), because of this concept of marriage, the difficulty of

maladjustment in marriage was hardly ever emphasized and given any attention and

consequently, barely any of the marriages were seen as unhappy and inappropriate.

The system of joint families prevailed in India conventionally. According to Ross

(1961), this system of joint family provided the husband and wife with equals in age and sex

with whom they could acquire „companionship‟ gratification. Since they were not completely

reliant on each other for intense affection, warmth, friendliness and companionship, they had

comparatively good adjustment. The specified roles, regulations, status and obligations for

both the sexes were largely followed by the society as a whole and one was expected and
supposed to perform their specified duties and roles. As Dubey (1955) wrote, in accordance

with the traditional customs of Indian culture, a husband was supposed to be an authoritative

figure who dictated and whose choices and wills were given all the preferences. On the other

hand, the wife was supposed to treat her husband as her 'master' and was expected to serve

him staunchly. Moreover, males and husbands were deemed as „superior‟ and females and

wives were considered „inferior‟. According to Indra (1955), the responsibilities of a

traditional Hindu wife include taking care of household matters and being particularly

devoted to the demands and desires of her husband. Moreover, she was also supposed to keep

her own comforts and needs after those of her husband‟s. Kapadia (1958) wrote that a wife

was believed to fuse her distinctiveness and uniqueness with that of her husband in the same

way as a river unifies its identity and individuality with that of an ocean. The sole purpose of

a wife was the fulfillment of the needs and desires of her husband and she was considered to

be at his service all the times. Hence, in orthodox Indian households, the exact allocation of

work between husbands and wives, definite roles to be performed by them, and the docile

perception of women played a vital role in resolving some of the discords and disputes in

marital life.

Profound transformations and modifications have been witnessed by India, in the last

eight decades or so, in almost all the facets and Indian marriages are not an exception. A

major role has been played by the liberation of women from their tradition constrained

character in changing the concept of Indian marriages. Psychosocial changes in the outlooks

and values of Indian people have been brought about by the processes like co-education,

urbanization, industrialization and mechanization, secularization, fiscal freedom of women,

social reforms, etc. Overtime, there has been a considerable change in the perceptions and
outlooks of educated women and also of educated men (to some extent) towards marriage and

status of women in our society. Traditional conception of marriage is greatly being replaced

by subjective conception of marriage, systems of joint family and sacramental marriages are

fading and vital changes are also evident in the economic status of women. Kapur (1960),

conducted a research which showed that a relationship of co-partnership is desired by

educated and working women with their husbands. Personal fulfillment of emotional,

communal, financial and bodily needs is demanded by educated working women out of their

marriage and they give more importance to their privileges rather than their obligations.

Nowadays, marital happiness or unhappiness, in the urban nuclear families, largely depends

on the husband-wife relationship and the spouses primarily rely on one another for emotional

security. Frictions and frustrations are likely to arise when the needs and expectations from

marriage are not met. This in turn gives rise to the problem of marital adjustment.

The relationship between marital adjustment and women employment has remained

contradictory. Some investigations have pointed out a positive relationship between these two

while other investigations have put across a negative relationship between these variables.

Clashes in relationship and spousal distress and maladjustment often result in melancholy,

anxiety, ineptness, agitation, powerlessness, irritability, worthlessness, etc. Various researches

substantiate that anxiety and depression are experienced more by women than men. Some of

the factors responsible for affecting psychological health of women are -:

 lack of an confiding and unburdening relationship,

 nuptial quarrels,

 mistreatment by in-laws,

 too many offspring and

 financial problems

ANXIETY

Anxiety is part and parcel of human existence. Restlessness, dread and pressure that

arise from expectation of danger, which may be imaginary or actual is referred to as anxiety.

It is a feeling marked by an unpleasant condition of internal chaos, frequently cohabitated by

uneasy behavior, like striding to and fro, somatic illnesses, and negative cyclic thinking.

Anxiety differs from fear in the sense that fear is a reaction to an actual or perceived instant

danger, while anxiety is the anticipation of some future danger from a largely unreal source.

Anxiety often coexists with edginess, exhaustion, muscular rigidity and difficulties in

focusing. Being anxious can be apt, but when one undergoes anxiety on a regular basis, one

might be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Withdrawal from anxiety provoking

circumstances is usually seen in people facing anxiety.

Although anxiety is related to fear, it is not the same thing. Fear is a direct, focused

response to a specific event or object, and the person is consciously aware of it. Most people

will feel fear if someone points a loaded gun at them or if they see a tornado forming on the

horizon. They also will recognize that they are afraid. Anxiety, on the other hand, is often

unfocused, vague, and hard to pin down to a specific cause. In this form it is called free-

floating anxiety. Sometimes anxiety being experienced in the present may stem from an event

or person that produced pain and fear in the past, but the anxious individual is not consciously

aware of the original source of the feeling. It is anxiety's aspect of remoteness that makes it

hard for people to compare their experiences of it. Whereas most people will be fearful in

physically dangerous situations, and can agree that fear is an appropriate response in the
presence of danger, anxiety is often triggered by objects or events that are unique and specific

to an individual. An individual might be anxious because of a unique meaning or memory

being stimulated by present circumstances, not because of some immediate danger. Another

individual looking at the anxious person from the outside may be truly puzzled as to the

reason for the person's anxiety.

Anxiety plays a valuable role in self-preservation - the fear of the consequences often

prevents us from taking unnecessary risks. This kind of unnecessary risks usually comes in

female life and it all depends on her to tackle thumped situation. Anxiety as a disorder results

from the fear response becoming out of proportion to the actual risk. The body responds to

anxiety stimulus both physically and mentally. Anxiety can lead to over-stimulation of the

sympathetic nervous system. It manifests by the physical symptoms such as a racing

heartbeat, sweating and trembling, and psychological symptoms such as restlessness,

insomnia and difficulty in concentrating. Anxiety is often seen as a triggering of the fight-or-

flight reaction, causing excess adrenaline to be produced by the adrenal glands, which in turn

produce other hormones that affect various parts of the body, such as heartbeat and

respiration. Anxiety can also be a symptom of a wide range of medical and mental health

conditions, such as drug addiction, hyperthyroidism, hypertension, psychosis, and hypoxia. If

anxiety is at an extreme level or becomes recurring or continuous, it may be due to or can

develop into a mental health condition, called an anxiety disorder. Treatment of anxiety varies

depending on the underlying cause, the severity, and a person's medical history, age, and

general health.
State-Trait Anxiety –

According to the Spielberger, state anxiety reflects a "transitory emotional state or

condition of the human organism that is characterized by subjective, consciously perceived

feelings of tension and apprehension, and heightened autonomic nervous system activity."

'State' anxiety is the anxiety state we experience when something causes us to feel

appropriately and temporarily anxious and this anxiety then retreats until we feel 'normal'

again. So, state anxiety is what one experiences when a dog runs out in front of the car; an

intense anxiety reaction that produces a number of strong anxiety symptoms associated with

the respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems. After the 'threat' has subsided, the anxiety

state retreats and one feels 'normal' again. This is how most people feel most of the time.

„Trait anxiety‟, according to the Spielberger, „denotes relatively stable individual

differences in anxiety proneness and refers to a general tendency to respond with anxiety to

perceived threats in the environment.‟ Trait anxiety is the 'preset' level of anxiety experienced

by an individual who has a tendency to be more anxious; to react less appropriately to anxiety

provoking stimuli.
REVIEW OF
LITERATURE
 Literature review linked to the topic which is to be studied offers significant

information, which aids in conducting the study directly or indirectly. Reviewing the relevant

literature related to the topic helps the researcher in understanding the aspects of the topic

which have already been delved into considerably and also the topics that need more

concentration. Reviewing literature also provides the researcher with the tools and techniques

that are valuable in assessing the variables closely related to the topic. Hence, an important

aspect of scientific work is composed of relevant literature review.

The variables of the present study have been studied extensively but separately and

therefore it is slightly difficult to take into account all the research work that has already been

carried out in this field. Yet, an effort has been made and a few new and old studies associated

with the topic are reviewed further.

STUDIES ON MARITAL ADJUSTMENT –

Ozcan et al. (2019) conducted a research on “The Relationships between Prenatal Attachment,

Basic Personality Traits, Styles of Coping with Stress, Depression, and Anxiety, and Marital

Adjustment among Women in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy”. The aim of the present

study was to explore the possible socio-demographic and clinical factors (personality features,

styles used in coping with stress, depression, and situational anxiety levels, and marital

adjustment) affecting maternal-fetal attachment. Educational level, marital adjustment, social

support, and turning to religion as a coping mechanism with stress were found to be positively

correlated with prenatal attachment scores. The duration of marriage and number of births

given and the avoidance/disengagement subscale of Coping with Stress Scale and BDI scores

were negatively correlated with prenatal attachment scores. A BDI score of ≥17 (this score
suggests moderate and/or severe symptoms of depression) was found to be an independent

and a negative variable on prenatal attachment.

Pedro et al. (2017) studied “Marital adjustment in the context of female breast cancer: A

systematic review”. The objective was to systematically review studies assessing marital

adjustment in the context of female breast cancer to understand which factors are associated

with marital adjustment in both patients and partners and characterize the measures used to

assess marital adjustment within these studies. Fourteen studies were included. Results

evidenced that psychosocial variables play an important role on marital adjustment.

Specifically, open and constructive communication, more social support, and supportive

dyadic coping were found to be associated with higher levels of marital adjustment. Other

variables such as self-efficacy, sexual functioning, and psychological adjustment were also

positively associated with marital adjustment.

Nadam and Sylaja (2015) conducted a study on “Marriage Adjustment among Working and

Non-Working Women”. The result of this study revealed that the marriage adjustment of

working women is higher than non-working women.

Khalid et al. (2015) conducted a research on “Social support, marital adjustment, and

psychological distress among women with primary infertility in Pakistan”. The aim of this

study was to identify the prevalence rates of psychological distress among Pakistani women

seeking help for primary infertility. The associations of social support, marital adjustment,

and socio-demographic factors with psychological distress were also examined. The

prevalence of psychological distress was 37.3%. The results of this study suggested that

marital adjustment and social support were significantly negatively associated with

psychological distress in this sample. These associations were not confounded by any of the
demographic variables controlled in the multivariable regression models. The results of this

small-scale effort highlight the need for social and familial awareness to help tackle the

psychological distress related to infertility.

Qadir et al. (2013) studied “The association of marital relationship and perceived social

support with mental health of women in Pakistan”. The results of the study revealed that

perceived higher social support reduces the likelihood of depression and anxiety by enhancing

positive relationship as reflected by a low score on the relationship dynamics scale which

decreases CMD symptoms. Moreover, perceived higher social support is positively associated

with marital adjustment directly and indirectly through relationship dynamics which is

associated with the reduced risk of depression through the increased level of reported marital

satisfaction. Nuclear family structure, low level of education and higher socio-economic

status were significantly associated with increased risk of mental illness

among married women.

Whisman et al. (2012) conducted a research on “Marital functioning and binge eating disorder

in married women”. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between marital

functioning and binge eating disorder (BED). The results of this study revealed that women

with BED reported lower levels of marital satisfaction and higher levels of negative

interaction than women with other disorders, who in turn reported poorer functioning

than women with no disorder. Women with other disorders reported lower levels of positive

interaction than women with BED, who in turn reported lower levels than women with no

disorder.

Lopez et al. (2011) conducted a study on “Religious commitment, adult attachment, and

marital adjustment in newly married couples”. This study examined the effects of religious
commitment and insecure attachment on marital adjustment. Newly married couples who did

not have children (N = 92 couples, 184 individuals) completed measures of religious

commitment, adult attachment, and marital functioning. There was a small positive

association between religious commitment and marital adjustment. Religious commitment

buffered the negative association between attachment avoidance and marital adjustment, but

exacerbated the negative association between attachment anxiety and marital adjustment.

Kazmi et al. (2010) studied the association between marital adjustment and economic

resources. Results indicated that economic resources play significant role in marital

adjustment. Significant difference exists between economic resources of working and non-

working women. Non-working married women have to face more economic problems in their

married life as compared to working married women and consequently they faced more stress

and less adjusted. Working women are more martially adjusted as compare to non-working

women.

Litzinger and Gordon (2005) conducted a study on “Exploring relationships among

communication, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction”. This study examined

relationships among couple communication, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction in

387 married couples. Regression analyses demonstrated that communication and sexual

satisfaction independently predict marital satisfaction. However, there is a significant

interaction between communication and sexual satisfaction; if couples are successful at

communicating constructively, sexual satisfaction fails to contribute to marital satisfaction.

Alternatively, if couples have difficulty communicating but are sexually satisfied, they will

experience greater marital satisfaction than if they have a less satisfying sexual relationship.
Thus, sexual satisfaction may partially compensate for the negative effects of poor

communication on marital satisfaction.

Nathawat and Mathur (1993) studied “Marital adjustment and subjective well-being in Indian-

educated housewives and working women”. Results indicated significantly better marital

adjustment and subjective well-being for the working women than for the housewives.

Specifically, working women reported higher scores on general health, life satisfaction, and

self-esteem measures and lower scores on hopelessness, insecurity, and anxiety, compared

with the housewives, although the housewives had lower scores on negative affect than

the working women. Findings were insignificant on positive affect and depression.

STUDIES ON ANXIETY –

Babu et al. (2019) conducted a research on “Prevalence and Determinants of Somatization

and Anxiety among Adult Women in an Urban Population in Kerala”. The objective of this

study is to estimate the prevalence and determinants of somatization and anxiety among

adult women in an urban population of Kochi. This study concluded that mental health

services for urban women deserve immediate attention as the prevalence of somatization

and anxiety is high. Hence, it is important to screen for somatization

and anxiety among women with non-communicable diseases.

Abbas et al. (2019) conducted a research on “The moderating role of social support for

marital adjustment, depression, anxiety, and stress: Evidence from Pakistani working and

nonworking women”. This study examined how social support moderates the prolongation of

mental distress related to depression, anxiety, stress, and marital adjustment in working and
nonworking women. The study aimed to reveal the relationship between social support and

mental health issues associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and marital adjustment among

females. The results of the study revealed that social support was positively and significantly

associated with marital adjustment, although it showed a negative association with anxiety,

depression, and stress in working and nonworking women; this finding reflects the better

mental health of the study population. The findings proved that marital adjustment has a

negative relation with depression and anxiety in married working and nonworking females.

Social support acts as a moderator for marital cohesion, affection, stress, and depression, and

the results reflected that nonworking women with higher marital cohesion and affection

showed less stress and depression because of social support.

Diago et al. (2018) studied “Anxiety and depressive symptoms, and stress biomarkers in

pregnant women after in vitro fertilization: a prospective cohort study”. The purpose of the

study was to find out whether in vitro fertilization (IVF) affects the course of anxiety and

depressive symptoms as well as physiological stress from pregnancy to postpartum period.

The results of this study revealed that IVF mothers have more anxiety symptoms and higher

stress biomarker levels but fewer depression symptoms than natural conception mothers at the

third trimester of pregnancy, but these differences are negligible during postpartum period.

Villar et al. (2017) conducted a research on “Quality of life and anxiety in women with breast

cancer before and after treatment.” The objectives of the study were to determine the quality

of life and anxiety in patients with breast cancer and the changes they experience after

treatments. The results showed that the baseline quality of life dimensions with the lowest

score were future prospects (46.0/100) and sexual enjoyment (55.7/100). The dimensions with

the highest score were body image (94.2/100) and role (93.3/100). The most disturbing
symptoms were insomnia, fatigue and concern about hair loss. After treatment, the

dimensions of physical function, role, body image, financial concerns and symptomatology

worsened, whereas emotional function and future prospects improved. Severe anxiety

presented as a state (48.6%) and as a trait (18.2%). The highest baseline state anxiety was

associated with married-widowed status and anxiolytic medication. The greatest trait anxiety

was associated with an inactive work situation, anxiolytic medication, breast swelling and

advanced stage at diagnosis. After treatment, anxiety significantly decreased.

Chhansiya and Jogsan (2015) conducted a study on “Ego Strength and Anxiety among

Working and Non-working Women”. The aim of the research was to find out the mean

difference between working and non-working women. The study revealed that there was

significant difference between working and non-working women in Ego strength. There was

significant difference between working and non-working women in anxiety. While the

correlation between Ego strength and anxiety reveals 0.54 positive correlation.

Bansal et al. (2015) studied “Depression and anxiety among middle-aged women: A

community-based study”. The objective of the study was to assess the level of depression and

anxiety among middle age women and the possible factors behind it. The results showed that

the level of syndromal depression and anxiety was found to be 86.7% and 88.9%,

respectively. Most of the subjects had the moderate type of depression (49.5%) followed by

mild (29.4%) and severe depression (7.8%). While in case of anxiety, most of the subjects

(69.4%) had a mild form of anxiety and 17.8% had moderate anxiety level. A significant

difference was observed in the level of depression with respect to marital status (P = 0.009)

and in the level of anxiety with respect to age (P = 0.021) in the study subjects. On applying
logistic regression, none of the factors studied were found to be significant variables for

anxiety or depression in the study population.

Irfan and others (2012) studied “A Comparative Study of Working and Non-working Married

Women: Effect of Anxiety Level on Life Satisfaction”. The results of the study show that

females those who are working and married, are low on anxiety with higher life satisfaction in

comparison to the non-working married females. They perceived their life as challenging and

secure. They feel comfortable with their life situations. Whereas, the non-working married

females are less satisfied with their lives and their anxiety level is also higher than the anxiety

level of working females.

Bahrami and Yousefi (2011) conducted a research on “Females Are More Anxious than

Males: a Metacognitive Perspective”. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors

that cause anxiety disorders and more prevalent among women than men. The results have

shown a higher rate of health anxiety and metaworry in girls than boys. Besides, it can be

inferred that girls more than boys believe that worry is uncontrollable and must be avoided

due to metacognition.

Iqbal and others (2004) studied “Anxiety in Non-working women with Reference to their

Education, Family system and number of Children”. Anxiety was observed in 74% of non-

working women and 36% of working women had anxiety. A statistically significant

association between anxiety in women and education and number of their children was found.

Mukhopadhyay et al. (1993) studied “Working status and anxiety levels of urban

educated women in Calcutta.” The primary objective of the present study was to assess the

impact of out-of-home employment on anxiety levels of mothers. A study group

of working mothers resident in Calcutta (India) was compared with a socioeconomically

similar group of non-working mothers with respect to their anxiety level. The possible

relationships between anxiety score and age of these mothers as well as their children were

studied. Non-working mothers showed higher anxiety levels than their working counterparts

with respect to the total anxiety score as well as its components, although the differences were

statistically non-significant. The anxiety scores of non-working mothers showed increasing

values with increasing age of children. This trend was absent among the working mothers.

The age of these mothers was not related to their anxiety level.

Mukhopadhyay (1989) conducted a research on “Working status and stress of middle

class women of Calcutta”. The present study compares a group of working mothers with

their non-working counterparts with respect to: (a) stress level, measured in terms of

their anxiety score; and (b) certain general indicators of health including a broad measure of

stress. The results show that anxiety and health scores of the two groups of women are

similar. Further, the health score and anxiety score seem to be correlated, more clearly among

the working mothers.

STUDIES ON WORKING AND NONWORKING WOMEN –

Chinweuba et al. (2018) studied “Differentials in health-related quality of life of employed

and unemployed women with normal vaginal delivery”. This study investigated the

differences in health-related quality of life of employed and unemployed women with normal

vaginal delivery and associated socio-demographic variables. Employed women reported

lower health-related quality-of-life than the unemployed at the three time-points, the lowest
mean score being at 18 weeks postpartum (Mean = 73.9). Women with higher education and

personal income reported higher health-related quality-of-life (p < 0.05).

Employed women have more problems with physical health components and are more

negatively affected by increasing age except those with higher education and personal

income.

Raza and others (2017) studied “Dietary practices and severity of depression: Comparative

study among housewives and working women in Karachi”. The aim of the study was to

compare levels of depression and locate difference in effects of dietary practices on

depression severity in housewives and working women. Study outcomes revealed that dietary

habits influenced severity of depression. In none/minimal category, most women in both

study groups were those who were taking 3 meals [18(14.5%) housewives and

114(52.8%) working women], 8 or more glasses of water [16(16%) housewives and

94(48%) working women]and fast food rarely[20(12%) housewives

and76(44.7%) working women]. A high number of women with minimal depression were

witnessed among participants who rarely consumed vegetables [16(13.1%) housewives and

50(42.4%) working women]. Considering overall depression, a large number of housewives

showed moderate depression, i.e. 156(52%). On the contrary, the number

of working women showing minimal depression was 142(47.3%) compared to 30(17.4%)

housewives (p<0.001). the study concluded that although housewives were more depressed

than working women, the highest number of participants with none or minimal depression in

both study groups were those who had better dietary practices.

Mardhekar and others (2012) conducted a study on “Coping strategies and learned

helplessness of employed and nonemployed educated married women from India”. In the
present study, three types of coping strategies (cognitive, physical, and social coping) and

learned helplessness between married women who are either employed or nonemployed in

Pune, India were compared. A total of 100 employed women and 100

nonemployed women were surveyed. Employed women were found to have significantly

higher cognitive, physical, and social coping, as well as lower learned helplessness than

nonemployed women.

Saravi et al. (2012) conducted a research on “Comparing health-related quality of life of

employed women and housewives: a cross sectional study from southeast Iran”. The purpose

of the study was to compare the quality of life of employed women with housewives in

Zahedan, Iran. The results indicated that employed women scored higher than housewives in

all measures except for physical functioning. The differences were found to be remarkable for

vitality, mental health and role emotional. However, after controlling for age, education and

family income, none of differences reached significant level.

Gao and others (2009) studied “Comparison of factors correlating life satisfaction between

full-time working women and housewives in an urban city using covariance structural

analysis”. The purpose of this study was to clarify and compare components of life

satisfaction between full-time working women and housewives in an urban city using

covariance structural analysis. This analysis revealed that low gender role consciousness and

high self-efficacy directly led to high life satisfaction in full-time working women, and low

life satisfaction in housewives with significance. On the other hand, it was shown that high

support from family or friends indirectly led to high life satisfaction in full-

time working women without significance.

Blom et al. (2007) conducted a study on “Work and marital status in relation to depressive

symptoms and social support among women with coronary artery disease”. The study

investigated whether work and marital status are associated with depressive symptoms, social

support, and daily stress behavior in women with coronary artery disease (CAD). Results

revealed that women who were working at the time of measurement had lower levels of

depressive symptoms and higher levels of social support than the nonworking women,

whereas marital status was not related to any of the outcome variables. Results were similar

after adjusting for potential confounders, that is, age, education, self-reported health, and risk

factors for CAD. There was no significant interaction between marital status

and working status on depressive symptoms, social support, or daily stress behavior.

Meleis and Stevens (1992) conducted a study on “Women in clerical jobs: spousal role

satisfaction, stress, and coping”. The research was designed to respond to the need for

understanding the daily experiences of women in clerical jobs. The data about spousal role

satisfactions, stress and coping strategies, as perceived and articulated by them, indicated that

there are almost an equal number of satisfying and stressful aspects of the spousal

relationship. Examples of the satisfying aspects are companionship, reciprocity, and

interaction; while stressful aspects are inequality of tasks, disagreements and

domination. Women in this study coped by using strategies that are more solitary in nature.

They identified very little power to negotiate support and tangible assistance.
RATIONALE

Marital conditions are highly responsible for depression and anxiety among women. It

is often advocated that in order to bring women to equal status with men, economic

independence is necessary. As a result women are being provided with various jobs in the

society. Working women have additional problems of marital adjustment, mental, health,

emotional and social problems, etc. in the process of adjustment with their job demands and

family demands. The story of housewives is not much different either; generally they are full

of activity in their domestic deeds, such as taking care of her in- laws and husband, being a

procreator of children, arranging meals, cleaning and so on. As a consequence she is not

capable of finding out time for herself and her marital life which leads to problems in marital

adjustment and mental health. It is therefore relevant to study the marital adjustment and

anxiety among working and non-working women and the present research aims to study the

difference between working and non-working married women with respect to marital

adjustment and level of anxiety.

Married women between 35 to 45 years of age are taken for this study as physical

changes come in this period which in turn has significant impacts on psychological level as

well and different changes in circumstances also lead to behavioral changes in women.

Working women of the same profession (university teachers) are selected for the present

study as they go through a lot of pressures on the professional front as well as in their

personal lives. If they are working they are supposed to perform all duties at office as well as

at home. Non-working women, on the other hand, are always expected to be perfect and are

under a lot of pressure to be the „ideal‟ housewife. Marital conditions are highly responsible

for depression and anxiety among women. Because our society is man-oriented society,
women have to face all problems. Hence, this research aims at exploring the difference

between anxiety and marital adjustment among working and non-working married women.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

 Marital Adjustment – It is the state in which there is an overall feeling in husband and

wife of happiness and satisfaction with their marriage and with each other.

 Anxiety - Anxiety is a psychological state of nervousness. It is an emotion

characterized by feeling of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like

increased blood pressure. In short, anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful situations

of the person.

 Working Women – Women who work out of the house for paying jobs are classified

as working women.

 Non-working Women – Non-working women in reference of the study shall be

described as women not involved in any kind of paid jobs or employment and not

generating any fees, salary or other income except family income.

 RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
 This chapter deals with objectives, problem, hypotheses, tools employed for data

collection, design of the study, sample selected for the study, statistical method used for the

analysis and procedure of data collection.

PROBLEM –

To assess whether there would be any difference between working and non-working married

women in terms of marital adjustment and anxiety.

OBJECTIVES –

 To assess the difference in working and non-working married women in terms of

marital adjustment.

 To assess the difference in working and non-working married women in terms of

anxiety.

HYPOTHESES –

 There would be an impact of marital adjustment in working and non-working married

women.

 There would be an impact of general anxiety in working and non-working married

women.
SAMPLE –

The total sample for this study constituted 150 married women, i.e. 75 working and 75 non-

working women. The sample was selected from Kanpur district with the help of purposive

sampling. The criteria of inclusion of women included:

(a) Age range from 35 to 45 years.

(b) Working women belong to teaching profession.

TOOLS –

 Marital Adjustment Questionnaire was developed by Kumar and Rohatgi (1999). The

questionnaire consists of 25 items, to be answered in Yes or No. The split-half

reliability and the test-retest reliability of the questionnaire were found to be 0.70 and

0.84 respectively, making the test highly reliable. The face validity and the content

validity of the questionnaire were also fairly high and adequately assured.

 Sinha‟s Comprehensive Anxiety Test was developed by Sinha and Sinha (1971). It
consists of 90 items, to be answered in Yes or No. The internal consistency reliability

coefficient of the test was found to be 0.92 which ensures a high reliability of the test.

The coefficient of validity was 0.62.

RESEARCH DESIGN –

A survey research design was used for the study to assess the marital adjustment and anxiety

of working and non-working women between 35 to 45 years of age from Kanpur district,

Uttar Pradesh.
STATISTICAL TECHNIQUE –

For analyzing the data, mann-whitney U test was used.

PROCEDURE –

The questionnaires were distributed individually to all the participants. It was made clear to

the respondents that the questionnaires were to be filled out anonymously and their responses

would be kept confidential. Respondents were requested to fill up the questionnaires

according to the instructions given. Completed questionnaire forms were collected from each

respondent. The obtained data was analyzed as per objectives of the present study.
RESULTS
 The main objectives in the analysis of the data were to assess the difference in

working and non-working married women in terms of marital adjustment and anxiety. For this

purpose Marital Adjustment Questionnaire by Kumar and Rohatgi and Sinha‟s

Comprehensive Anxiety Test by Sinha and Sinha were administered on a sample of 150

married women (75 working and 75 non-working) in the age range of 35-45 years. The

obtained data was statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test.

TABLE – 1: Mean ranks, U value and p-value of working and non-working married women

on Marital Adjustment.

MARRIED N MEAN RANKS U p-value

WOMEN

Working 75 72.22 2566.500 0.351

Women

Non-working 75 78.78

Women

Both the groups of married women (working and non-working) were assessed on marital

adjustment and the p-value was found to be non-significant (p > 0.05). The findings do not

support the first hypothesis (there would be a significant difference in the marital adjustment

of working and non-working married women) as there is no significant difference in the

marital adjustment of working and non-working married women.

TABLE – 2: Mean ranks, U value and p-value of working and non-working married women

on Anxiety.

MARRIED N MEAN RANKS U p-value

WOMEN

Working 75 73.63 2672.500 0.598

Women

Non-working 75 77.37

Women

Both the groups of married women (working and non-working) were assessed on the level of

anxiety and the p-value was found to be non-significant (p > 0.05). The findings do not

support the second hypothesis (there would be a significant difference in the anxiety of

working and non-working married women) as there is no significant difference in the anxiety

of working and non-working married women.

DISCUSSION
The key findings of the study are as follows –

 There is no significant difference in the marital adjustment of working and non-

working married women.

 There is no significant difference in the anxiety of working and non-working married

women.

The first hypothesis of the present research prognosticated that there would be a

significant difference in the marital adjustment of working and non-working married women

and the results discard the stated hypothesis. The findings of the current study suggest that

there is no significant difference between both the groups indicating that working and non-

working women have relatively equal levels of marital adjustment.

The outcomes implicate the reality that women whether working or non-working have

always been considered responsible for their families and homes and employment of women

has never substantially reduced their duties and responsibilities towards their families and

homes. Working women are always held accountable for the vast majority of household tasks

regardless of their jobs. Although, this modern and patriarchal society in which we live wants

women to be well educated, take up jobs and have an independent career and personality, this

society, nonetheless, expects working women to be submissive, obedient, meek, docile and

efficient wives. While undertaking these dual duties, working women encounter obstacles in

handling and managing their time appropriately in order to meet with the boundless array of

demands and expectations effectively such as completing their domestic chores amply, taking

proper care of their family, husband and children and also coping with the hurdles and

deadlines in their work as an employee. This twofold role of a homemaker and an employee
instigates a lot of stress in their life and adversely influences their relationship with their

husband and other family members. All this makes their life miserable and eventually results

in poor marital adjustment.

Conversely, it can be seen that non-working married women are predominantly full of

household activities such as sweeping, dusting, doing laundry, preparing meals and taking

care of her in-laws, looking after her husband and children and so on. Due to such state of

affairs, she is barely able to take out time for her marital and personal life and consequently

her marital adjustment suffers.

The results of the present study suggest that the problems in marital adjustment are

faced by both working and non-working married women although the reasons might differ

and the results are also consistent with the study conducted by Moore et al. (1984). Their

investigation showed no significant difference between working and non-working married

women and their marital adjustment. Hashmi et al. (2007) in their study regarding marital

adjustment of working and non-working women also concluded that both the groups exhibit

no clear difference in their marital adjustment. Jamabo and Ordu (2012) also failed to find

significant differences on marital adjustment between working and non-working married

women.

However, the findings are inconsistent with the study conducted by Nathawat and

Mathur (1993); Rogers and May (2003); Rita et al. (2017) which indicates that working

women are more satisfied and better adjusted in their marital life as compared to their non-

working counterparts.
 The second hypothesis proposed that there would be a significant difference in the

anxiety of working and non-working married women and the findings of the present study

reject the stated hypothesis. The result suggests that there is no significant difference between

both the groups indicating that working and non-working married women have somewhat

identical levels of anxiety.

Nowadays, a single earning is not enough anymore to run the family and hence there

has been an escalation in the employment rate of women. Women, nevertheless, continue to

endure the responsibility of nurturing and domestic chores and doing it all has turned out to be

a common norm for women. Married women are left ragged and dilapidated under the

traditional and prevailing gender roles and norms.

Numerous researches have pointed out that working women are often bound to play

multiple roles at the same time and all the workload of carrying out dual duties, more often

than not, results in anxiety, stress, depression and clashes among the partners and other family

members. Pertaining to this, the effort-recovery model (Meijman & Mulder, 1998) states that

effort is indispensable for fulfilling job commitments and obligations and recovery is there

when the person does not put in his/her mental or bodily effort. This model assumes that the

effort in jobs is strongly linked with severe reactions like heart problems, high blood pressure,

exhaustion, muscular rigidity and fatigue. The chances of recovery become very thin if the

stress persists thereby increasing the possibility of depression, anxiety and complications in

sleeping pattern and diminishing the probability of positive emotions and psychological well-

being. After the working hours, working women have to complete their home related

responsibilities and do all the domestic chores. They are trapped in this vicious cycle due to
which their recovery is hampered and this lack of recovery intensifies the likelihood of poor

mental and physical health.

According to the scarcity hypothesis (Edwards & Rothbard, 2000), in this regard,

individuals have limited and fixed resources which are hardly sufficient to be apportioned to

their manifold roles and results in having feelings of anxiety, guilt and also hampers their

mental well-being. Working women are still envisioned as the prime caretaker of the

household, family, husband and children and consequently a working woman is destined to

perform a twofold role of a housewife and an employee. When a career oriented woman is not

able to meet the roles and expectations effectively, she undergoes guilt, depression, stress and

anxiety.

Non-working women, on the other hand, work incessantly; doing all the housework

like chopping, cooking, cleaning, nursing and what not; managing it all to perfection.

Nevertheless, deplorably, in most of the circumstances, non-working women are grimly ill-

treated and their significance in our society is belittled. Multiple studies have concluded that a

major stressor for non-working women was lack of social life. Non-working women lack

social connections, power, respect, financial independence, individual identity and as a result

have low self-efficacy, self-confidence and self-esteem. All these factors lead to feelings of

sadness, despondency, irritability, anguish, hopelessness, despair, helplessness, anxiety,

worthlessness, lowered self-esteem, etc. in non-working women. Suicidal thoughts and

feelings can also persist in more serious situations.

The results of the current research state that both the working and non-working

women have roughly equal level of anxiety despite having distinct set of problems. The
results of the research are in line with the study conducted by Mukhopadhyay (1989). The

findings showed that anxiety and health scores of the two groups of women are similar.

However, the findings are not consistent with the study conducted by Patel et al.

(2017). Their results revealed that homemakers (non-working women) had 1.2 times higher

anxiety and 1.3 times higher stress than working women. Bhadoria (2013) reported significant

differences in the level of anxiety and depression between working and non-working women.

The results of the study by Kaur et al. (2012) also show that women who are married and

working are low on anxiety with higher life satisfaction as compared to females who are

married and non-working.

CONCLUSION

Thus, it can be concluded from the above discussion that there is no significant

difference in marital adjustment and anxiety of working and non-working married women and

the results reject both the hypotheses of the study. Women have continually made a

substantial contribution to their communities, but their contribution is not appreciated and

acknowledged frequently due to a patriarchal conspiracy. It is clear from the above findings

that the reasons behind problems in marital adjustment and anxiety might be different for both

the groups but both working and non-working married women have approximately equal

levels of marital adjustment and anxiety.

LIMITATIONS –

 The sample size of the study was small.

 The sample of the present study was taken from a particular city.

 Married women of only 35 to 45 years of age were taken for the study.

SUGGESTIONS –

 Larger sample size can be taken.

 The study can be widened by taking into account different cities and states for better

knowledge and understanding.

 The study can be replicated on women of different age groups as well.

IMPLICATIONS –

The findings of the present research are extremely beneficial for mental health

professionals, relationship counselors, community supporters, life coaches, teachers, and for

authorities of government and private organizations as well. Women should be motivated to

enrich their formal educational level in order to enhance their chances of learning and

improving self-efficacy and self-assistance. They should also be encouraged to take active

part in social works and develop social connections in order to avoid their chances of

developing anxiety.
 The study is of vital importance as it throws light on the essential aspects that must be

considered for the enhancement of marital adjustment and satisfaction and mental health of

married women. Social cooperation and support may be used as a resource to improve marital

relationship and potentially decrease marital troubles as a threat to women‟s mental health.

Equal amount of support, attention, care and protection must be rendered to both working and

non-working women. Furthermore, the facility of mental health services is also an essential

requirement and techniques like meditation, guided imagery, yoga, muscle relaxation, self-

hypnosis, mindfulness breathing, etc. should be utilized by both the groups of women for

managing stress and anxiety of day-to-day life effectively.

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