Equity theory

Equity definition.

Fairness, not equality.

This is less selfish and more applicable to real-life than SET.

Although equity is subjective.

What does equity theory propose?

That people are most comfortable in a relationship when what they get out of a relationship (benefits) is roughly equal to what they put in (costs).

According to this theory, an individual who gives little to their partner and receives little in return would be equally happy in a relationship compared to one where they give and receive a lot - in both cases the equity between partners is equivalent.

Example of equitable relationship

A person who works long shifts as a nurse (gives little) in a relationship with a person who works abroad (receives little).

What happens in an inequitable relationship?

Makes partners feel distressed and dissatisfied.

If people feel over-benefited - they may experience shame and guilt

If people feel under-benefited - they may experience anger, sadness and resentment

What happens the greater inequity there is?

The greater inequity, the greater dissatisfaction and stress, and the more motivation there is to do something about it.

Example of inequitable relationship

A pregnant mother who is tired and feels ill all day (gives little) and a needy person (receives lots)

According to equity theory, what should the partners benefits minus their costs equal?

Their partner’s benefits minus costs.

What did Schaffer and Keith find after surveying hundreds of married couples of all ages?

During child-rearing years - Wives often felt under-benefited, husbands often felt over-benefited. This lowered marital satisfaction.

During the newly-married stage and after children left home - both husbands and wives were more likely to perceive equity and feel satisfaction in marriage.

What did Hatfield and Rapson (2011) suggest about how couples are concerned with reward and equity?

They suggested that how couples are concerned with reward and equity depends on the stage of their relationship.

Initial stage of relationship - considerations of reward, fairness and equity are important.

When couples are deeply committed to eachother (eg in marriage) - they become less concerned about day-to-day reward and equity. They don’t keep a score of how much they’re giving and getting back.

What did Byers and Wang (2004) suggest about couples in equitable relationships?

That they are less likely to risk extramarital affairs than other couples, and their relationships are generally longer lasting than others.

KEY STUDY: What was the aim of Stratford and Canary’s 2006 study?

They wanted to study how equity and satisfaction predicted the use of maintenance strategies typically used in marriage.

What was the procedure?

They asked over 200 married couples to complete measures of equity and satisfaction.

In addition, each spouse was asked questions about their use of relationship maintenance strategies such as assurances, sharing household tasks and positivity.

Define the three examples of relationship maintenance strategies.

Assurances - emphasising affection and commitment to the relationship

Sharing household tasks - both completing chores

Positivity - communicating in an upbeat and optimistic manner

What were the findings of the study?

Satisfaction was highest for spouses who perceived their relationships to be equitable.

This was followed by over-benefited partners and then under-benefited partners.

Under-benefited husbands reported significantly lower levels of relationship maintenance strategies compared to equitable or over-benefited husbands.

Conclusions of the study

The relationship between equity and marital happiness is complimentary.

Spouses treated equitably are generally happier and so are more likely to engage in behaviours contributing to their spouse’s sense of happiness.

Positive eval

Evolutionary research support - Brosnan and de Waal (2003) found that female capuchin monkeys became angry if they were given a worse reward than another monkey (cucumber rather than grapes) for doing the same task. They got very angry and hurled food back at the experimenter. This gives validity for equity theory - has ancient origins.

Negative eval

Individual differences in equity sensitivity - Huseman (1987) identified 3 types of individuals that respond differently to inequity - “benevolents” “equity sensitives” and “entitleds”. So the concept of equity sensitivity shows that the equity explanation is oversimplified and doesn’t represent all types of relationships.

Gender differences in equity importance - Damaris (2010) found that men and women aren’t equally affected by inequity in romantic relationships. He said that women are more disturbed by being under-benefited than men. This is because of women’s greater sensitivity and focus on relationships.

Cultural differences in equity - Aumer-Ryan (2006) studied Western and non-western cultures. Men and women from the US claimed to be in the most equitable relationships, and both men and women from Jamaica claimed to be in the least equitable relationships. This shows that people in different cultures differ in how fair they consider their relationships to be.

Conclusion

Dissatisfaction is the cause, not the consequence of inequity.

Although total equity is hard to achieve.

This is a more applicable and realistic theory than social exchange theory.