Materialism, Wives’ Relative Earnings, and Marital Satisfaction Among South Korean Couples: Actor and Partner Effects

This study examined the relationship between spousal levels of materialism and marital satisfaction while considering the moderating role of wives’ relative earnings, using the Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). A total of 301 South Korean heterosexual married couples completed the survey. We found that wives’ materialism had actor and partner effects on both spouses’ marital satisfaction. Husbands’ level of materialism was not associated with their own marital satisfaction but had a positive association with wives’ marital satisfaction. The interaction between wives’ materialism and their relative earnings significantly predicted both spouses’ marital satisfaction. That is, the negative relationship between wives’ materialism and both spouses’ marital satisfaction was stronger when wives’ relative earnings were higher. However, wives’ materialism was not related to either partner’s marital satisfaction when wives’ relative earnings were low. These results can be illuminated by gender differences in mating preferences, and characteristics of materialists and South Korean culture.