Inequality in a Romantic Relationship

Inequality in a romantic relationship results from the imbalances in power between the couple - such in the case of societies which regard males as the more powerful (Doyle, 1983). Egalitarianism, the converse of inequality, is defined in terms of the bidirectional movement from traditional to non-traditional gender roles (King & King, 1997). In this light, a true egalitarian neither disapproves of a woman in a traditionally male role nor of a man in a traditionally female role. Moreover, egalitarianism consists of mutual acknowledgement or acceptance of set roles and responsibilities while communication, reciprocity, and mutual satisfaction are held in premium (Aguiling-Dalisay et. al, 2000). As said, a true egalitarian does not necessarily believe in being equals of capability, but instead in equal contributions to the success of a given relationship. To operationalize the construct of egalitarian romantic relationship, Aguiling-Dalisay et. al. (2000) identified its 3 broad domains, which they admit to be not exhaustive and yet undeniably relevant to adults: Love, Sex, and Roles & Responsibilities.

In the present society wherein several groups are intensely moving against inequality, the researcher would like to find out the strength of egalitarianism in romantic relationships, point out in which domain it is strongest, and check for differences between sexes and among economic classes.

METHODOLOGY

Respondents

Respondents will be 100 males and females aged 18 years and above. Multi-stage probability sampling will be used, which assumes that sample will fall within the current population split by sex: males - 50%, females - 50%; and economic class: upper - 1%, upper-middle - 15%, lower-middle - 32%, working - 32%, lower - 20% (Thompson & Hickey, 2005). Sample shall be boosted to obtain sufficient reading for each segment (n ? 30).

Questionnaire and data analysis pre-test will be conducted among 30 (15 males, 15 females) respondents. The questionnaire will comprise of 60 randomized statements, 20 from each domains of Love, Sex, and Roles & Responsibilities. Each statement will be evaluated using a 6-point Likert Scale (to reduce the respondent's chances of taking the middle ground) with anchors labeled strongly agree and strongly disagree. Data will be subjected to Split-Half reliability test and Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha to check reliability and to set the questionnaire to its final length.