Internet Use, Perceived Spousal Contributions, and Chinese Women's Marital Satisfaction: A Panel Study

ABSTRACT Objective This study investigated how internet use related to marital satisfaction among Chinese married women, focusing on the mediating role of perceived spousal contributions. Background Widespread internet use may shape wives' perceptions of spousal economic and housework contributions, further affecting marital satisfaction. Methods Using two‐wave panel data from the 2020 and 2022 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), the auto‐regressive modeling approach was used to examine the parallel indirect pathways of wives' satisfaction with their spouses' economic and housework contributions in linking internet use and marital satisfaction. Results Internet use indirectly predicted lower marital satisfaction through satisfaction with spousal housework contribution, but not economic contribution. This indirect link was moderated by regions and work status, appearing only among rural and unemployed women. Conclusion Drawing on media ecology and gender role perspectives, among rural and unemployed women, internet use indirectly reduces marital satisfaction through lower satisfaction with spousal housework contributions, with no indirect pathway through economic contributions, highlighting persistent traditional beliefs about men's economic roles. Implications Promoting more balanced housework arrangements may be relevant for supporting women's marital satisfaction, particularly among the unemployed and those in rural areas.