Partners becoming parents: A question of difference

The relationship between parents forms a significant part of the social environment within which infants and children develop. Research and clinical practice indicate that the process of becoming a parent can place a strain on a couple's partnership and that the presence of children can be associated with diminished levels of satisfaction within marriage. This paper considers why marital satisfaction may decline with the roles and responsibilities of parenthood and pays particular attention to the problem of managing difference at personal and public levels when unconscious assumptions and conscious expectations merge and apply pressure on the individual parents and their relationship.