Chapter #4: Marriage: An Equal Partnership

"In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."  -- The Family Proclamation

Equal Partnership is walking hand in hand with a companion suited to or equal to us.  Side by side, in absolute equal partnership between men and women here and in the eternities.

"In our old age my beloved companion said to me quietly one evening, "You have always given me wings to fly, and I have always loved you for it."  -G.B. Hinckley

 Chapter 4, Box 4.1.-- Assessing Power in Relationships -

Disagreeing with these assessments indicates an equal partnership. Readers my want to use these scales to assess their own relationships.

Power Processes Scale

1. My partner tends to discount my opinion.
2. My partner does not listen to me.
3. When I want to talk about a problem in our relationship, my partner often refuses to talk with me about it. 
4. My partner tends to dominate our conversations.
5. When we do not agree on an issue, my partner gives me a cold sholder. 
6. I do not feel free to express my opinion about issues in our relationship.
7. My partner makes decisions that affect our family without talking to me first.
8. My partner and I do not talk about problems until we both agree on a solution.
9. I feel like my partner tries to  control me.

Power Outcomes Scale

1. When it comes to money, my partner's opinion usually wins out.
2. When it comes to children, my partner's opinion usually wins out
3. It often seem my partner can get away with things in our relationship that I can never get away with.
4. I have no choice  but to do what my partner wants.
5. My partner has more influence in our relationship than I do
6. When disagreements arise in our relationship, my partner's opinion usually wins out. 

"Better physical and emotional health, better marital relationships, and better parenting and outcomes for children are the fruits of equal partnership in marriage."

Resources:  Successful Marriages and Families, Chapter 4, "Equal partnership Between men and Women in Families,"  Hudson, Valerie, and Miller, Richard.