Equity theory

• equity

  both partners' profit in a relationship should be roughly the same.

  lack of equity means one partner over benefits and the other under benefits.
• equity + equality

  rewards + costs do not have to be the same for both partners; a partner who puts a lot into the relationship will be satisfied if they get a lot out of it
• consequences of inequity

  strong positive correlation between perceived inequity and dissatisfaction
• changes in perceived equity

  greatest dissatisfaction comes from changes in perceived inequity as a relationship develops
• dealing with inequity

  underbenefiting partners work hard to restore equity or they lower their standards so the relationship feels equitable even though nothing has changed.
• strength - research support

  Utne et al. (1984) carried out a survey of 118 recently married couples, measuring equity with two self-report scales. The participants were aged between 16 and 45 years and had been together for more than two years before marrying. The researchers found that couples who considered their relationship equitable were more satisfied than those who saw themselves as overbenefiting or underbenefiting.
• limitation - cultural differences

  Aumer-Ryan et al. (2007) found that there are cultural differences in the link between equity and satisfaction. Couples from an individualist culture (US) considered their relationships to be most satisfying when the relationship was equitable, whereas partners in a collectivist culture (Jamaica) were most satisfied when they were overbenefiting. This was true of both men and women, so cannot be explained by gender differences
• limitation - individual differences

  Huseman et al. (1987) suggest that some people are less concerned about equity than the ‘norm’. they describe some partners are benevolents, who are prepared to contribute more to the relationship than they get out of it (underbenefit). Others are entitleds who believe they deserve to overbenefit and accept it without feeling distressed or guilty. In both cases such individuals have less concern about equity that the theory predicts.
• strength - real world application

  An important application of equity theory is in couples counselling. For example, where a couple are having problems in their relationship they may contact an organisation such as Relate in order to get some advice. As you will have learned, dissatisfied partners are likely to either feel underbenefited or overbenefited. Couple counselling could help restore equity in the relationship and thus increase satisfaction.