The judgment of equity in intimate relationships

This paper examines how individuals in intimate relationships come to decide whether their relationship is equitable. We study two types of intimate relationships - married couples and heterosexual cohabiting couples - using questionnaire data to analyze how a variety of factors affect the judgment of equity. We examine characteristics concerned with traditional role differentiation, the functioning of the couple as a small group, and status-conferring attributes. Our results show striking differences from one type of actor to another in the resources that are related significantly to the judgment of equity and in the impact of different classes of variables on equity.