Author : Novero, Evangelina P.

Summary : The study attempted to test the resource theory of conjugal power in the rural Philippine setting. Specifically, it aimed to determine the decision making patterns, which are considered as indicators of conjugal power structure, in six areas of family concern, and their association with selected socioeconomic variables including education of the husband, spouse educational level discrepancy, employment status of the wife and comparative value of material resources brought into the marriage by the husband and the wife. Data were gathered from 110 couples in two rural areas in Quezon province. Each couple were interviewed simultaneously but independently of one another. For the statistical treatment of the data, chi-square analysis was used. The findings indicated that the husband played a significant role more than the wife or both of them in three of the six decision areas studied; namely, acquiring a loan, having festivity in the home, and extending major monetary help to relatives.