Perceived Social Support as a Determinant of Marital Adjustment in Working and Non-Working Mothers

As the responsibilities of women with children are changing with the change in work status, various personal and social issues are surfacing for women. Perceived social support might be considered as one of the factor which could contribute to personal life and relationships. The present study aimed to identify the relation between perceived social support and marital adjustment among working and non-working women. The sample of the study consisted of 100 women (working married women 50, non-working married women 50), age ranging between 28 to 40 years (minimum 5 years of marriage), with at least 1 child. Two tests, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), were administered to the respondents. Data was analysed with the help oft-test and step-wise regression. Results showed that working mothers had higher marital adjustment than non-working mothers. Further, perceived social support, especially from family's side played an important role in developing marital adjustment among women.