From: mfh00@aub.edu.lb
Message-Id: <m0wEcuQ-003Ae9C@layla.aub.edu.lb>
To: Socgrad@csf.colorado.edu
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 16:35:06 +0000
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Subject: Help On Social Change
Dear Reader, Hi.
My name is Maysa and I have written once before to socgrad asking for 
help on a project about social change.
Assuming that you do not know about it here what it is briefly about.
The paper is an attempt to study the impact of education on marriage 
by way of learning on social change. More specifically, I am 
intrested in finding out whether there is a relationship between the 
number of years spent in formal education after high school,  and the 
experience of stress tension in the life of the Lebanese married 
couple.
My definition of tension in this paper goes as follows.I will say 
there is tension in the relationship when there is a disagreement 
among the spouses as to what are the roles wach expects the other to 
play as married woman or married man;  and when this  disagreement is 
causing stress in the daily interaction experience of the couple.
I am going to collect data by a survey where I will interview about 
15 couples;  I will ask them open ended questions of the following 
order:

1) Backgound information ( about school, university.....how did they 
,meet,  religion)
2) Information about the current family ( work status, children....)
3) Information on the management of the Domestic chores
   -who prepares the meals?.....who does the shopping?
   - who washes the dishes?
   - who pays the bills? who arranges car repairs?....
All in all how many hours a week do you think you spend on domestic 
chores?
Do you prefer things to be otherwise in running the house? why? what 
are the changes you would have in mind?
4)In formation on Tension because of role conflict
  -Do you think a woman should work?
  - Under what circumstances you think a married woman shoud stop 
work?
 - Do you think a married women should work even if she does not need 
the money?
-Do you think husbands and wives have similar or different 
responsibilities?
-For you a good wife is..............
-For you a good husband is............
-For you what are friends for? what are spouses for?
-Do you a nd your spouse get to discuss things?(IF Yes) What issues?
-If there is news that you want to share who is the first person you 
would go to?
-Do you get to feel dpressed sometimes? How often? Do you think you 
can tell me the reasons or at least some?
5)Finances
-Suppose that you nees a new regrigerator how do you decide when to 
buy one?which one?
-Suppose you suggest one and your spouse thinks it is too expensive. 
What do you think your position/reaction will be?
-Do you mind telling me how payments for things like rent,....are 
usaully managed?
(There are a couple of other questions)
My Inquiry: I still cannot get to the best way to formulate the 
proper question that would tell me ( indicate) that what the spouse 
expects the other to do is actually differnt or corresponding to the 
sex roles they are inacting in their daily lives.  Hence whether ther 
is tension ot not because of a change in sex roles caused by 
education that is similar to the one reported among couples in the 
West. 
I will be very grateful if someone could tell me how far my questions 
are from measuring that? And how can I find the right path.  Mind you 
this is a course work and not a full fledged study.
Thank you in advance.
e-mail:mfh00@aub.edu.lb