equity theory

• equity and inequity

  • Equity theory is an extension of social exchange theory in that people strive to achieve fairness in their relationship in terms of social exchange.
  • According to this theory any kind of inequity will lead to distress in the relationship.
  • This applies to those who put too much into a relationship as well as those who take too much.
  • The greater the inequity, the greater the dissatisfaction, leading to increased distress.
• ratio of inputs and outputs

  • Equity does not necessarily mean equality.
  • It is possible for a partner to both give and receive different amounts and still judge the relationship to be fair.
  • The ratio of input/output is what matters.
  • E.g. If you put in less but get less out of the relationship that is considered fair/equitable
  • When there is any perceived inequity people are also motivated to restore it.
• evaluation - supporting research

  • There is research support for the importance of equity in relationship satisfaction
  • Stafford and Canary (2006) Asked 200 married couples to complete a questionnaire on relationship equity and satisfaction.
  • Satisfaction was highest for those who perceived their relationship as equitable, followed by over benefitted partners, and lowest for under benefitted partners
  • When asked about specific maintenance strategies, lower benefitted partners reported a distinct lack of the essential strategies.
• additional research support

  In addition, Joel et al. (2020) found that two of the top five predictors of relationship success were 'perceived partner commitment` and 'perceived partner satisfaction'

  • This suggests that we want to maximise both our partner's inputs and outputs in a relationship
  • This fits with the predictions of equity theory
• methodological difficulties

  methodological difficulties with measuring benefits and costs in equity theory

  • Rewards and costs are difficult to quantify.
  • They can be entirely subjective and emotional
  • They have often been defined superficially in order to measure them e.g. money
  • This makes it very difficult to accurately quantify whether benefits might outweigh costs or not
• further with methodological difficulties

  • Clark and Mills (2011) suggest that the theory may work better for relationships where it is easier to 'keep score'
  • Exchange relationships (coworkers) may involve equity, but Communal relationships (romantic partners) are less likely to.
  • Equity theory may therefore not be generalisable to all types of relationships