Does workplace advancement make its way home? Examining the marital power and wellbeing of Dominican women leaders

Abstract

Female leadership is understudied in the Dominican Republic. As women increase their participation in leadership positions at work it is critical to examine the broader impact of professional advancement on women’s lives especially if and how advancement impacts marital power in a society still mired by gender inequality. Imbalances in marital power are associated with mental health and wellbeing, thus making understanding the relationship between power at work (leadership) and power at home relevant for women. An additional challenge to address this knowledge gap is the lack of locally developed instruments to measure psychological variables. This study presents the results of the development of the Mencía Sánchez Marital Power Questionnaire, a brief instrument designed to assess perceived power and decision-making authority in relationships and its relationship to wellbeing. A sample of 63 women participated in the study. Results showed adequate internal consistency (.68) for the perceived power subscale of the Mencía Sánchez Marital Power Questionnaire. Furthermore, regression analyses showed that marital power predicts social support (t = 3.38, p = .002). The results of the study underscore the importance of studying factors that impact women´s advancement towards equality in a development context and the need to conduct research with locally developed measures.