From Solidarity to Individualism in the Contemporary Couple

Abstract

The contemporary society highlights a general type of marital behavior, still influenced by traditional sets of values. Today, the influence of the families of origin in the selection of the conjugal partner, in the marital decision and, often, in the way of organizing the functions of the family is obvious. Moreover, the general economic situation makes living with parents an alternative to consider. In this sense, the premises of modern marital relations are very difficult for some. At the same time, analyzing the national statistical data, we can see that the indicators that show the traditionality in the distribution of domestic roles show that over 50% of respondents consider that household chores should be done by women. Surprisingly, perhaps, if we compare the statistical data of the Gender Barometer from 2000 and 2018, we notice that, if in the first barometer, the share of those who believed in the female specifics of domestic roles was 63%, in 2018, this opinion amounted to 53% (Grumberg, Rusu, Samoilă, 2019). Beyond the general attitude, a new set of behaviors identified in young couples gradually legitimizes a new form of conjugal manifestation - relational individualism. The study aims to functionally evaluate these new tendencies of manifestation, analyzing the effects of relational individualism within the Romanian contemporary couple. The research bases its methodology on the utilitarian myth, that of the mutual fulfillment of needs, it is of a qualitative nature and the research instrument is the semi-structured interview.