







































Humanitas: Indonesian Psychological Journal  
Vol. 20 (2), August 2023, 90-101 

ISSN:  2598-6368(online); 1693-7236(print)                                                                 

       humanitas@psy.uad.ac.id             http://journal1.uad.ac.id/index.php/Humanitas       https://doi.org/10.26555/humanitas.v20i2.239 
  

Perceived fairness and marital satisfaction: The role of the presence of 

children with disabilities 

Klarinthia Ratri, Yudiana Ratnasari 

Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia 

Corresponding Author: yudianaratnasari@gmail.com 
 
 

 

Introduction 

Marriage is a significant transition and stage in someone’s life as its success impacts people’s 
lives. One of the success indicators is to attain marital satisfaction (Heshmati et al., 2016). 
Marital satisfaction refers to the evaluation of the overall state of their marriage and reflects 
marital happiness and functioning (Schoen et al., 2002). Moreover, marital satisfaction was 
proven to impact someone’s life significantly. High marital satisfaction can lead to higher job 
satisfaction and better physical and psychological health (Dush et al., 2008; Rogers & May, 
2003). On the other hand, dissatisfaction in marriage can trigger the onset of depressive 
symptoms in individuals (Rogers & May, 2003). The substantial influence of marital 
satisfaction has prompted diverse studies to identify the factors contributing to higher marital 
satisfaction (Student & Student, 2011). These factors are found to be correlated to higher 
marital satisfaction, not only with its intrapersonal aspects, such as an individual’s 
personality, attachment, and intellectual maturity, but also its interpersonal aspects, such as 
sexual satisfaction, compatibility, and conflict resolution (Student & Student, 2011). 

 

ARTICLE  INFO  

 

ABST RACT  

 

Article history 

Received October 20, 2022 

Revised June 19, 2023 

Accepted June 23, 2023  

 Perceived fairness has been consistently found to have a significant 
positive correlation with marital satisfaction. Furthermore, numerous 
studies on perceived fairness have been conducted related to parents 
of children with disabilities, considering the difficulties encountered 
by these parents due to their children’s specialized needs and 
demands. As a result, these challenges usually affect their marital 
relationship more than the other couples. Therefore, this study aimed 
to examine the relationship between perceived fairness and marital 
satisfaction moderated by the presence of children with disabilities. 
The Indonesian version of the Perceived Fairness instrument and 
Quality of Marriage Index were used to measure perceived fairness 
and marital satisfaction in 335 married Indonesian participants, 
including both parents of children with and without disabilities. Data 
analysis was performed using Hayes PROCESS. The result showed 
that perceived fairness was significantly correlated to marital 
satisfaction in both parents of children with and without disabilities. 
However, no significant interaction was found by the presence of 
children with disabilities on the relationship between perceived 
fairness and marital satisfaction. The results of this study provide a 
strong implication for mental health practitioners regarding the 
intervention goals for families and parents of children with 
disabilities. 

 

    

 
Keywords 

children with disabilities;  

division of household chores; 

marital satisfaction; 

parenting; 

perceived fairness.  

 

 

mailto:humanitas@psy.uad.ac.id
http://journal1.uad.ac.id/index.php/Humanitas
https://doi.org/10.26555/humanitas.v20i2.239
mailto:yudianaratnasari@gmail.com


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                                      Ratri & Ratnasari (Perceived fairness and marital satisfaction: The role…)   

One factor that has been mentioned repeatedly in previous studies to contribute to 
higher marital satisfaction significantly is the spouse’s perception that they are sharing 
household responsibilities with their partner, including household chores and childrearing 
(Chong & Mickelson, 2016; Gosztyła, 2015; Simmerman et al., 2001; Tsibidaki, 2013). This 
factor is known as perceived fairness, perceived equality in the division of household 
responsibilities, including household chores, financial management, and childrearing 
(Claffey & Mickelson, 2009). Several studies found a consistently significant relationship 
between perceived fairness and marital satisfaction (Chong & Mickelson, 2016; Kluwer et 
al., 1996; Stevens et al., 2001; Wilkie et al., 1998). Perceived fairness plays a role in 
decreasing cognitive appraisal of how stressful the situation of childrearing they are facing, 
specifically in parents of children with disabilities (Willoughby & Glidden, 1995).   

Furthermore, numerous studies on perceived fairness have been conducted on parents 
of children with disabilities (Gosztyła, 2015; Ki & Joanne, 2014; Simmerman et al., 2001; 
Tsibidaki, 2013). These studies are important considering the difficulties encountered by 
parents of children with disabilities and the role that perceived fairness holds in the marital 
relationship. In general, parenthood represents a significant change that inevitably affects 
individuals' lives, specifically parents with children with disabilities (Risdal & Singer, 2004). 
Previous research suggested that parents of children with disabilities experience a higher level 
of stress, lower mental health, and disturbance in daily life, such as interruption in career and 
a decrease in leisure time (Brobst et al., 2009; Risdal & Singer, 2004). 

Several studies have explained the impacts experienced by parents of children with 
disabilities (Chen & Tang, 1997; Mallers et al., 2010). Accepting their children’s conditions 
and limitations, facilitating providers for specialized care, and planning for their future are 
the common struggles that the parents of children with developmental disabilities experience 
(Chen & Tang, 1997). Moreover, both developmental and physical disabilities in children 
demand complex and special care, which in turn become the main challenges for parents of 
children with disabilities. This condition will lead to lower social interactions, leisure time, 
and higher sleep disturbances (Mallers et al., 2010). Additionally, parents of children with 
developmental disabilities reported higher stressful experiences from managing their 
children’s emotions and behaviors while worrying about their future at the same time 
(Hoseinnejad et al., 2020; Ki & Joanne, 2014). In addition to caretaking demands, many 
studies suggested that financial demands in caring for children with disabilities are significant 
stressors for parents (Chen et al., 2020; Ren et al., 2020; Vonneilich et al., 2016). Compared 
with children with normal development, children with any disability tend to need special 
medical treatment, education, and equipment, resulting in a significantly higher financial 
burden for the parents (Bahry et al., 2019). 

The challenges experienced by parents of children with disabilities and their impacts 
on their personal lives will also negatively affect their marital relationship.  This condition is 
in line with previous studies that parents of children with disabilities reported a higher number 
of divorces compared with parents of children without disabilities (Hartley et al., 2010; Risdal 
& Singer, 2004). Specifically, parents of children with ASD reported a divorce rate almost 
twice as high (23.5%) than the others (13.8%) (Hartley et al., 2010).  Nevertheless, various 
studies have inconsistent results when comparing marital satisfaction between parents of 
children with and without disabilities. Several studies suggested lower marital satisfaction of 
parents of children with disabilities (Doulabi et al., 2019; Gosztyła, 2015; Hoseinnejad et al., 
2020). However, other studies found no significant difference in marital satisfaction between 
the two populations (Holmbeck et al., 1997; Lohranpour & Chahartangi, 2016; Tsibidaki, 
2013). Even though parents of children with disabilities showed lower levels of parental 
satisfaction, there is no significant difference in marital satisfaction between parents of 
children with and without disabilities (Holmbeck et al., 1997). Another study found no 
significant difference in marital satisfaction between these two populations, although mothers 
of children with disabilities reported lower quality of life (Tsibidaki, 2013). 



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Previous study tried to explain these nonsignificant differences in marital satisfaction 
between couples with and without children with disabilities by the various factors that 
contribute to marital satisfaction, namely their coping strategy, the capability of cooperation 
between spouses, or their resilience level (Tsibidaki, 2013). It is possible that even though 
parents of children with disabilities experience different levels of challenges in childrearing 
compared to parents of children without disabilities, other factors in the relationships or 
within themselves contribute more to their marital satisfaction level, hence producing similar 
marital satisfaction between the two groups. In correspondence with the extensive and 
complex needs required by children with disabilities, the authors postulate that the couple’s 
collaboration to divide fair household responsibilities, manifested in their perception of 
fairness, may reduce the burden of childrearing. This collaboration will lead to higher marital 
satisfaction among parents of children with disabilities (Gosztyła, 2015; Ki & Joanne, 2014), 
which explains the higher interest in perceived fairness studies, specifically on parents of 
children with disabilities.  

The rise of the important role of perceived fairness in marital relationships could also 
result from a shift in gender roles in general. Frequently, these studies of perceived fairness 
would emphasize the importance of the father’s role in the mother’s perceived fairness, as 
childrearing responsibilities usually fall on the role of mothers. Specifically, father’s 
cooperation in caregiving and their positive response in taking more responsibility in the 
household will enhance their marital quality, which results in higher mother’s marital 
satisfaction (Simmerman et al., 2001; Tsibidaki, 2013; Willoughby & Glidden, 1995). These 
findings of gender role shift occur specifically in Indonesia. Despite the strong enforced belief 
of patriarchy, specifically of superiority in men rather than women in the majority of 
Indonesia’s culture (Hadiz & Eddyono, 2005), there has been a shift of position in the last 
couple of decades where women in Indonesia begun to gain their place in society by getting 
higher education, getting more waged jobs, and holding important positions in political 
organization (Schaner & Das, 2016). These changes could lead to a higher demand for 
equality in the household, specifically in household chores and childrearing. This condition 
is in accordance with a study that wives with higher financial earnings have more power to 
negotiate a more equal division of childrearing with their husbands (Simulja et al., 2014). 

Based on the different challenges between parents of children with and without 
disabilities and the important role that perceived fairness holds in marital relationships in 
general, this study aimed to determine the relationship between perceived fairness and marital 
satisfaction moderated by the presence of children with disabilities in marriage. This study 
examined if the relationship between perceived fairness and marital satisfaction will differ 
between parents of children with and without disabilities. The authors hypothesized that the 
complex and special care required by children with disabilities would lead to a significantly 
stronger correlation between perceived fairness and marital satisfaction in parents of children 
with disabilities, as higher demands will result in higher needs of equal division of household 
chores and childrearing. The implication of the results of this study is to identify if perceived 
fairness can be targeted as a factor that needs to be emphasized during counseling for this 
type of family. This implication is in accordance with a study that suggested the importance 
of finding factors that reinforce the positive adaptation of parents of children with disabilities 
to support them as a family (Risdal & Singer, 2004). 

Method 

Research Design 

This quantitative research uses a correlational research design, where the numerical data were 
gathered from the target population and analyzed to test the associations between variables. 
Data was collected in an online platform, which took approximately 20-30 minutes. This 



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study has received ethical approval from the Committee on Research Ethics at the Faculty of 
Psychology, Universitas Indonesia, with the number approval 032/FPsi.Komite 
Etik/PDP.04.00/2022. 

Participants 

Three hundred and sixty-six married Indonesian participants participated through 
convenience sampling. An informative flyer regarding the research was distributed through 
various social media and communication platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp. The 
information presented in the flyer included the purpose of the study, the characteristics of the 
participants required, the contact person, and the questionnaire link. The questionnaire was 
distributed online using Google Forms to collect individual data rather than dyadic (couples’ 
data). The authors controlled the data to be only for participants with children, both with and 
without disabilities, to minimize possible errors. Therefore, 31 participants without children 
were eliminated, resulting in 335 data comprised of 187 women (56%) and 148 men (44%), 
with 152 of them (45%) having children with disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder 
(ASD) and physical disability (i.e., deaf, blind). The majority of participants received a high 
degree of education, and more than 70% of the participants graduated with bachelor, master, 
or doctorate degrees. All participants were provided with informed consent to state their 
willingness to agree to fill up the research questions. Details of participants’ demographic 
characteristics and the disabilities diagnosed in participants’ children can be seen in Table 1. 
 

Table 1 
Participants’ Demographics and Distribution of Disabilities in Participants’ Children 

 Type Frequency Percentage 

Gender Male 148 56% 

 Female 187 44% 

Children With disabilities 152 45% 

 Without disabilities 183 55% 

Education High school diploma 32 10% 

 Vocational study 45 13% 

 Undergraduate 152 45% 

 Graduate 106 32% 

Duration of 
Marriage  

0-5 years 105 31% 

6-10 years 46 14% 

11-15 years 66 20% 

>15 years 118 35% 

Disabilities Physical Disability 96 63% 

Autism Spectrum Disorder 31 20% 

ADHD/Attention Issues 9 6% 

Learning Difficulties 6 4% 

Down Syndrome 4 3% 

Others (Microcephaly, multi-disability) 6 4% 

Instruments 

Each participant was first requested to mention the health of their children in a short 
demographic questionnaire. Specifically, parents of children with disabilities were requested 
to write down their children’s diagnoses and the source of the diagnoses, such as doctors, 
psychiatrists, or psychologists. 



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Perceived fairness was measured using the Perceived Fairness instrument (Claffey & 
Mickelson, 2009). Participants rated their perception of fairness in the division of household 
chores in their marriage, including food preparation, cleaning, household management, yard 
work, and childrearing. The instrument consisted of 5 items, ranging from 1 (“very unfair”) 
to 4 (“very fair”), with the highest possible score to achieve was 20. The instrument was 
translated and back-translated to Bahasa Indonesia and English (Rahmadani, 2021) and had 
good reliability (α = .77). The sample item and corrected item-total correlation of the 
instrument are shown in Table 2. 

Marital satisfaction was measured using the Quality of Marriage Index (Norton, 1983), 
which included six positive items containing two-scale system types. The first five items were 
a 7-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The last item was a 
10-point scale ranging from 1 (extremely low) to 10 (extremely high). The total possible score 
was 45, and the higher score indicated a higher marital quality experienced by the participants. 
The instrument was adapted to Bahasa Indonesia (Aranti, 2020), with a high coefficient 
reliability in Cronbach Alpha (α = .95).  The sample item and corrected item-total correlation 
of the instrument can be seen in Table 2. 
 
Table 2 
Sample Item and Corrected Item Total Correlation for Each Instrument 

Instrument Item no. Sample Item CriT Range CriT/scale 

Perceived 
Fairness 

2 Cleaning (dishes, vacuuming, laundry, 
etc.) 

.70 .54-.81 

4 Yard work (trash and lawn care) .53 
Marital 
Satisfaction 

1 We have a good marriage .86 .85-.93 

5 I really feel like part of a team with my 
partner 

.85 

Data Analysis 

Participants’ demographic data were analyzed using Hayes PROCESS on IBM SPSS version 
23 to test our hypotheses on the moderation effect of the presence of children with disabilities 
on perceived fairness and marital satisfaction. As additional data, one-way ANOVA was 
used to see the differences in perceived fairness and marital satisfaction based on 
demographic data, such as gender, education, and marital duration. 

Results 

A calculation of Hayes PROCESS examines the relationship between perceived fairness and 
the presence of children with disabilities to predict individuals’ marital satisfaction.  As 
shown in Table 3, a significant relationship was found between perceived fairness and marital 
satisfaction, b = 1.30, SE = .29, 95% CIs = .74, 1.87, p  < .01. However, there was no 
significant relationship between the presence of children with disabilities and marital 
satisfaction, b = .19, SE = .65, 95% CIs = -1.08, 1.48, p > .01. Moreover, the presence of 
children with disabilities did not affect the relationship between marital satisfaction and 
perceived fairness, b = -.09, SE = .18, 95% CIs = -.45, .26, p > .01. Thus, the effect of 
perceived fairness on marital satisfaction is not moderated by the presence of children with 
disabilities in a marriage. 

Furthermore, higher perceived fairness was proven to predict marital satisfaction in 
parents of children without disabilities, b = 1.21, SE = 0.13, 95% CIs = .96, 1.46, p < .01. A 
similar result was found in parents of children with disabilities, b = 1.12, SE = .13, 95% CIs 
= 0.87, 1.36, p < .01. It can be concluded that higher perceived fairness predicts higher marital 
satisfaction both in marital couples of children with or without disabilities. 
 



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Table 3  
Moderation Analysis of the Presence of Children with Disabilities on Perceived Fairness 

and Marital Satisfaction 
Analysis Variable b SE 95%CIs 

Moderator 
Analysis 

Perceived Fairness 1.30** .29 .74, 1.87 
Parents of children with/without 
disabilities 

  .19 .65 -1.08, 1.48 

Perceived Fairness*Presence of 
children with disabilities 

 -.09 .18 -.45, .26 

Simple slope 
analysis 

Parents of children without 
disabilities 

1.21** .13 .96, 1.46 

Parents of children with disabilities 1.12** .13 .87, 1.36 

Note: *** p < .001; ** p < .01; * p < .05 

 
Independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were performed to determine which 

demographic data (gender, education, and duration of marriage) contributes to marital 
satisfaction and perceived fairness. Table 4 shows that among parents of children with and 
without disabilities, there is a significant difference in marital satisfaction for males (M = 
6.66, SD = .94) and females (M = 6.09, SD = 1.3) with t(333) = -4.56, p = .00. In addition, 
male parents had score of perceived fairness (M = 3.74, SD = .47) that is significantly higher 
than that of female (M = 3.43, SD = .64); with t(333) = -4.96, p = .00. This study also revealed 
a significant differences on score for marital satisfaction and perceived fairness in each group 
parents with and without children. On the contrary, one-way ANOVA analysis shows no 
significant score of marital satisfaction and perceived fairness based on other demographic 
data, including level of education and duration of marriage. 
 
Table 4 
Differences in Marital Satisfaction and Perceived Fairness between Parents of Children 
with and without Disabilities Based on Gender 

 Male Female df t p 
 M SD M SD    

Total Sample         
Marital Satisfaction 6.66 .94 6.09 1.30 333 -4.56 <.001*** 
Perceived Fairness 3.74 .47 3.43 .64 333 -4.96 <.001*** 
Parents of Children with Disabilities        

Marital Satisfaction 6.51 .94 5.96 1.41 150 -2.73 <.010** 
Perceived Fairness 3.77 .44 3.30 .66 150 -4.90 <.001*** 

Parents of Children without Disabilities        

Marital Satisfaction 6.78 .93 6.20 1.18 181 -3.61 <.001*** 
Perceived Fairness 3.72 .49 3.54 .60 181 -2.12   .030* 

Note: *** p < .001; ** p < .01; * p < .05 

Discussion 

The results showed no difference in the relationship between perceived fairness and marital 
satisfaction among parents of children with and without disabilities. There are several 
possible explanations for this finding. One of which is the similarities of challenges between 
the two groups. Even though parents of children with disabilities tend to encounter a more 
complex and demanding childrearing routine, parents of children without disabilities also 
reported similar parental stress related to their children. These parenting stress include fatigue 
or lack of sleep, decreased sexual satisfaction, financial stress, and less time for personal life 
(Cooklin et al., 2011; Ponnet et al., 2016). These similar sources of stress on childrearing 
between both groups may lead to similar perceptions of fairness and satisfaction in marital 
relationships.  



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In addition, the higher challenges of childrearing of children with disabilities may lead 
to the development of adaptive coping skills in their parents. Parents of children with 
disabilities have a higher cooperative marital relationship than those without disabilities 
(Tsibidaki, 2013). This cooperation refers to the responsibility associated with the condition 
of their children. As a result, having children with disabilities tends to unify husbands and 
wives primarily in their shared role as parents (Tsibidaki, 2013). Aside from their coping as 
parents, parents of children with disabilities demonstrated a more positive affect and 
sensitivity toward their spouse compared to parents of children without disabilities (Hartley 
et al., 2017). Furthermore, even though parents of children with disabilities encountered a 
greater level of stress, they also demonstrated remarkable resilience in dealing with the 
challenges (Sanders & Morgan, 1997). Previous studies showed that the presence of children 
with disabilities does not necessarily negatively impact their lives and marital relations 
(Tsibidaki, 2013). Moreover, several studies revealed that parents of children with disabilities 
who are divorced or separated had marital issues before the birth of children with disabilities 
(Holmbeck et al., 1997; Tsibidaki, 2013). This development of adaptive coping and resilience 
in parents of children with disabilities may explain why there is no significant difference in 
the role of perceived fairness in marital satisfaction between parents of children with and 
without disabilities. 

This study finding implies that regardless of the presence of children with disabilities, 
higher perceived fairness leads to higher marital satisfaction. This result aligns with the 
variety of previous studies on parents of children with and without disabilities (Gosztyła, 
2015; Ki & Joanne, 2014; Stevens et al., 2001; Willoughby & Glidden, 1995). Generally, the 
wife’s dissatisfaction with the division of household chores is correlated with higher marital 
conflict (Kluwer et al., 1996). On the other hand, domestic labor is divided into three 
dimensions: household tasks, emotion-work, and status-enhancement work, and suggested 
that all three dimensions are significantly correlated to marital satisfaction (Stevens et al., 
2001). Nevertheless, in correlation with our research, findings satisfaction with household 
chores only influences marital satisfaction in women (Stevens et al., 2001). In addition, the 
division of household chores affects marital satisfaction through the perception of fairness, 
yet what is perceived as “fair” differs for husbands and wives (Wilkie et al., 1998). For wives, 
doing more than their fair share of household chores and not getting credit for it decreases 
their sense of justice and fairness. On the other hand, for husbands, a conventional division 
of household chores increases their sense of fairness.  

On the other side, specifically for parents of children with disabilities, this result is in 
accordance with a previous study in which perceived fairness is significantly correlated to 
marital satisfaction in countries with collective cultures, such as Indonesia and China, as they 
tend to uphold social harmony and group needs more than anything else (Ki & Joanne, 2014). 
Therefore, sharing and dividing household chores and childrearing in Indonesia is perceived 
as a means to achieve harmony and marital satisfaction. Aside from social context, when both 
parents of children with developmental disabilities cooperate to fulfill their children’s needs, 
it will strengthen their marriage in the process (Benson & Gross, 1989). Previous studies tend 
to explain this from the mothers’ perspective, suggesting that the mother’s perception and 
satisfaction with the father’s help with household chores and caring for children with 
disabilities significantly correlate to marital adjustment (Simmerman et al., 2001). In addition, 
as mothers usually take a higher burden of childrearing (60%) than fathers, they reported less 
anger, depression, and anxiety when their spouse helps and takes more responsibility 
(Tsibidaki, 2013). These lower negative emotions in mothers can lead to higher marital 
satisfaction. Not only decreasing negative emotions but sharing childrearing responsibility is 
also found to lessen the parents’ perspective on the difficulties encountered (Willoughby & 
Glidden, 1995).  

As explained in previous studies on both parents of children with and without 
disabilities, perceived fairness can rarely be separated from gender roles in marital 



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relationships (Kluwer et al., 1996; Stevens et al., 2001; Wilkie et al., 1998). Hence, an 
additional analysis is performed to examine the role of demographic data in participants’ 
marital satisfaction and perceived fairness. It was found that participants’ gender is the only 
demographic data that has significant relationships with marital satisfaction and perceived 
fairness. This finding is in accordance with the previous study that gender has the most 
significant impact on perceived fairness, in which male is reported to have significantly 
higher perceived fairness than female (Gosztyła, 2015). As explained in various studies, it 
should be considered that women have a bigger responsibility for childrearing (Craig & 
Mullan, 2011; Stevens et al., 2001). Therefore, it is possible that even though husbands 
perceive that the shared responsibility is fair or that they are helping with household chores 
and childrearing, the wives do not share the same perception (Chong & Mickelson, 2016). 
This condition is most likely to happen, particularly in Indonesia. Although the law has 
regulated the equal rights between husband and wife, it also defines a polarized role for each 
of them. According to the law, the husband is the head of the family, and the wife is the 
household's mother. Thus, the social norm that husbands are the ones who work and wives 
are the ones who stay at home to manage household and childrearing tasks has been rooted 
deeply in Indonesian culture.  

A previous study suggested that decades of taking responsibility for caretaking demand 
have manifested in a higher burden for women, not only doing the responsibility itself but 
also delegating and thinking about it (Gillespie et al., 2019). As a result, despite the shared 
chores between fathers and mothers, mothers remain to carry a bigger burden. The 
significantly lower perceived fairness in women supports our finding that women have 
significantly lower marital satisfaction. As it was found that perceived fairness has a 
significant positive correlation with marital satisfaction, it is comprehensible that when 
women experience lower perceived fairness, they also have lower marital satisfaction. There 
are a few possible reasons for this result. As several studies stated that wives experience 
higher stress in handling children with disabilities, they may need deeper and more complex 
resources to cope with the situation and achieve higher marital satisfaction (Norlin & 
Broberg, 2013). This result aligns with previous studies that various factors contribute to 
marital satisfaction in mothers of children with disabilities, including unfairness to self, 
spousal emotional support, personality, or coping strategy (Chong & Mickelson, 2016; 
Gillespie et al., 2019).  

Despite the beneficial findings of this study, there are several limitations. Firstly, this 
study did not specify the disabilities of the participants’ children as this study generalized 
disabilities from developmental disabilities and physical disabilities. Consequently, this study 
could not identify if the findings are relevant specifically for each different type of disability. 
Therefore, future research needs to examine further by controlling the type of disability in 
participants’ children. Another similar limitation is how this study did not differentiate 
perceived fairness in the context of household and childcare tasks. A previous study 
emphasizes the importance of independently testing childcare and household tasks, as they 
found a different impact of the division of housework and childcare tasks on spouses’ 
perception of fairness and assessments of marital conflicts (Newkirk et al., 2017).  

Conclusion 

The presence of children with disabilities does not influence the relationship between 
perceived fairness and marital satisfaction. Perceived fairness is significantly correlated to 
marital satisfaction in both parents of children with and without disabilities. This finding 
highlights the importance of increasing perceived fairness among parents of children with 
and without disabilities, which can be achieved by bridging the communication gap between 
parents on the expectation of household chores and childrearing division to reach a mutual 



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understanding of fairness from both parties. Furthermore, the intervention can also be 
implemented to create a responsibility-sharing plan that is perceived as fair for both parties. 
This implication can be done to understand better and fulfill the wife’s expectation of fairness 
in the marriage, as females experience lower marital satisfaction and perceived fairness than 
males. Hence, a more thorough understanding and intervention on wives’ perspectives of 
fairness in household labor are expected to prevent conflict in marriage and create higher 
marital satisfaction. 

Acknowledgment 

The author thanks all participants, both parents of children with or without disabilities, for 

participating in this study.  

Declarations  

Author contribution. The first and second authors co-designed the study. The first author 
analyzed the data and drafted the article, with feedback and guidance from the second author.  
Funding statement. This study did not receive external funding.  
Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest. 
Additional information. No additional information is available for this paper. 
 

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