The Relationship between Parenting Styles and Emotional Intelligence: An Empirical Study among Husbands and Wives

Abstract

The present study explores the relationship between parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive) and emotional maturity among husbands and wives. Using a correlational design, the study examined spousal alignment in emotional maturity and its association with different parenting practices. Results revealed a strong positive correlation between husbands’ and wives’ emotional maturity, underscoring the dyadic consistency in marital relationships. However, authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles did not demonstrate significant associations with emotional maturity for either gender. In contrast, permissive parenting by husbands showed a positive relationship with wives’ emotional maturity and was strongly aligned with wives’ permissive parenting. These findings suggest that while emotional maturity is strongly interdependent within couples, its influence on parenting styles is limited, with cultural and contextual factors playing a more prominent role. The results emphasize the nuanced interplay of gender, parenting roles, and emotional functioning in marital and family contexts.