Measuring routine and strategic relational maintenance: Scale revision, sex versus gender roles, and the prediction of relational characteristics

In the present study, we incorporate both routine and strategic maintenance behaviors in an expanded maintenance scale. In addition, we seek to determine whether sex or gender role is a stronger predictor of maintenance behaviors, and to ascertain the extent to which maintenance predicts the relational characteristics of satisfaction, commitment, liking, and control mutuality. Data were collected from 520 married individuals. Through factor analysis, 7 maintenance items reflecting both routine and strategic enactment were identified: advice, assurances, conflict management, openness, positivity, sharing tasks, and social networks. Multiple regressions revealed that the gender role construct of femininity was the primary predictor of all 7 of these behaviors. Biological sex was a weak predictor of 2 maintenance behaviors, and was not present in the other 5 regression equations. Finally, in accordance with previous research, the use of assurances was a consistent and strong predictor of relational characteristics.