Title: Reframing the Discourse: Interrogating Gendered Expectations of Resource Provision in Contemporary Relationships
Authors: Arinaitwe Julius, Ahumuza Audrey
Volume: 10
Issue: 3
Pages: 131-137
Publication Date: 2026/03/28
Abstract:
Gendered expectations of resource provision in intimate relationships have persisted with remarkable tenacity despite significant shifts in women's economic participation and formal gender equality frameworks. This study critically examined how these expectations were socially constructed, internalized across gender identities, and implicated in relational and psychosocial outcomes among adults in contemporary relationships. Employing a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 420 respondents (210 male, 210 female) aged 18-55 years across urban and peri-urban settings using a validated structured questionnaire. A three-tiered analytical approach was adopted, comprising univariate descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis using independent samples t-tests and Pearson correlations, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test hypothesized pathways linking gender, provider norm internalization, relational negotiation, financial stress, self-esteem, and relationship satisfaction. Univariate findings revealed that 61.7% of respondents endorsed male financial provision as normative, with male respondents recording significantly higher provider norm internalization scores (M = 4.21) than female respondents (M = 3.68). Bivariate analyses confirmed significant gender differences across all psychosocial and relational variables, with provider norm internalization positively correlated with financial stress (r = 0.53) and negatively correlated with relationship satisfaction (r = ?0.31) and self-esteem (r = ?0.38). The SEM demonstrated excellent model fit (CFI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.051) and confirmed that provider norm internalization was the strongest structural predictor of norm compliance (? = 0.63), financial stress (? = 0.55), and suppressed relational negotiation (? = ?0.44), while relational negotiation emerged as the most powerful positive predictor of relationship satisfaction (? = 0.49). These findings established that gendered provider expectations functioned as a systemic ideological stressor with measurable consequences for relational quality and individual wellbeing, operating independently of economic circumstance. The study concluded that reframing resource provision in relationships required both structural policy reform and sustained ideological disruption of breadwinner norms, and recommended gender-responsive education, targeted psychosocial interventions for men, and policy frameworks recognizing diverse forms of relational contribution.