Spousal Similarities in Perceptions of Marital Quality and Satisfaction in Later Life: A Study of Older Korean Couples

Abstract

Marital satisfaction is a key component of well-being and stability in later-life marriages, particularly for older couples who spend more time together and rely on each other for companionship. While extensive research has been conducted on factors influencing marital satisfaction, such as relationship quality, limited attention has been given to shared perceptions or spousal similarities in perceptions of marital quality, especially among older adults. In exploring marital satisfaction among older Korean couples, this study utilized nationally representative data from the 2020 Korean Family Survey, with a sample of 1,872 dyads of adults aged 60 and older. We examined characteristics at both the couple and individual levels to assess the association between spousal similarities in marital quality and individual marital satisfaction. Findings revealed distinct gendered patterns. Women’s marital satisfaction was significantly associated not only with their own characteristics and those of their husbands, such as traditional gender role attitudes and relationships with children, but also with the degree of spousal differences in perceived marital quality. In contrast, men’s satisfaction was more strongly linked to their own characteristics and showed less sensitivity to concordance in marital perceptions—unless they rated their marriage significantly higher than their wives, in which case they reported greater satisfaction. These findings underscore the need to examine marital quality not only from an individual lens but also from a couple-level perspective that considers spousal interdependence, perceptual discrepancies, and gendered meanings of relationship dynamics. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of aging, gender, and marriage by illustrating how the interplay between individual traits and shared perceptions shapes marital satisfaction among older couples.