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Familialistische vs. individualistische Partnerwahl. Eine Untersuchung der Partnerschaftsqualität bei türkischstämmigen Personen.
Abstract
Zusammenfassung
Der Beitrag vergleicht die Partnerschaftsqualität von Personen, deren Familie an der Partnerwahl beteiligt war (familialistischer Modus), mit Personen, die ihre Partnerwahl allein entschieden haben (individualistischer Modus). Es werden Türkischstämmige in Berlin (n=218) untersucht. Die Befragung fand 2009 als Begleitstudie des deutschen Familien- und Beziehungspanels pairfam statt. Als Methode werden Strukturgleichungsmodelle eingesetzt, um vermittelte Effekte zwischen dem Partnerwahlmodus und der Partnerschaftsqualität testen zu können. Die Befunde zeigen ein ähnlich hohes Niveau der globalen Partnerschaftsqualität in beiden Partnerwahlmodi, weisen jedoch auf unterschiedliche Wirkpfade hin. Personen mit einer familialistischen Partnerwahl haben Zugang zu mehr familiären Ressourcen. Personen mit einer individualistischen Partnerwahl haben eine höhere Paarinteraktionsqualität. Familiäre Ressourcen und Paarinteraktionsqualität wirken sich positiv auf die Partnerschaftsqualität aus, so dass sich die darüber vermittelten Effekte beider Partnerwahlmodi gegenseitig ausgleichen.
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Although much has been learned from cross-sectional research on marriage, an understanding of how marriages develop, succeed, and fail is best achieved with longitudinal data. In view of growing interest in longitudinal research on marriage, the authors reviewed and evaluated the literature on how the quality and stability of marriages change over time. First, prevailing theoretical perspectives are examined for their ability to explain change in marital quality and stability. Second, the methods and findings of 115 longitudinal studies—representing over 45,000 marriages—are summarized and evaluated, yielding specific suggestions for improving this research. Finally, a model is outlined that integrates the strengths of previous theories of marriage, accounts for established findings, and indicates new directions for research on how marriages change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This work investigates assortative mating and convergence in personality and their effect on marital satisfaction. Measures of personality were collected from a sample of married couples before they met and twice after they were married. Results showed evidence for assortative mating but not for convergence in an average couple. Similarity and convergence in personality predicted later marital satisfaction. These results indicate that similarity and convergence in psychological characteristics may benefit relationships and that while spouses may choose partners with similar personalities they do not become more like their partners in the early part of their marriage.
The purpose of this study was to examine the behavior of 8 measures of fit used to evaluate confirmatory factor analysis models. This study employed Monte Carlo simulation to determine to what extent sample size, model size, estimation procedure, and level of nonnormality affected fit when polytomous data were analyzed. The 3 indexes least affected by the design conditions were the comparative fit index, incremental fit index, and nonnormed fit index, which were affected only by level of nonnormality. The measure of centrality was most affected by the design variables, with values of n2>. 10 for sample size, model size, and level of nonnormality and interaction effects for Model Size x Level of Nonnormality and Estimation x Level of Nonnormality. Findings from this study should alert applied researchers to exercise caution when evaluating model fit with nonnormal, polytomous data.
This article examines the influences of nonfamily experiences on participation in the selection of a first spouse in an arranged marriage society. The authors developed a theoretical framework to explain how a broad array of nonfamily experiences may translate into greater participation in the choice of a spouse. Analyses show that premarital nonfamily experiences, in general, and media exposure and participation in youth clubs, in particular, have strong positive effects on individual participation in the choice of a spouse. These findings suggest new ways of thinking about the relationship between social change and the transition away from arranged marriage. Overall, changes in these nonfamily experiences can account for a substantial fraction of the historical increase of youth involvement in mate selection.
Data from a probability sample of 586 ever married women in Chengdu, Sichuan, in the People's
Republic of China, are used to examine the transition from arranged to free-choice marriages
in that society. Retrospective data on mate-choice experiences reveal that the role of parents has
declined sharply, while young people more and more dominate the process of spouse selection.
However, the transition toward free mate choice appears to have made little further headway in recent
years, and there is still little sign of a "dating culture" emerging. Variations in mate-choice experiences
are used to test the prediction of defenders of arranged marriage that "love matches
start out hot and grow cold, while arranged marriages start out cold and grow hot." In a partial
replication of an investigation of the same question conducted by Robert Blood in Tokyo, Japan,
in 1959, the evidence refutes this prediction. Multiple regression analyses indicate that wives in
Chengdu love matches are more satisfied with their marital relationships than their counterparts
in arranged marriages, regardless of the length of the marriage, and that this difference cannot be
attributed to the influence of other background factors that differentiate these two types of
women.
Social networks have a relatively large and multifaceted effect on the stability of intimate relationships, based on proportional
hazard analysis involving 290 individuals. Perceptions of approval from a respondent's friends and approval from a partners
family increase relationship stability. On the other hand, perceived approval from a respondent's family, overall encouragement
to date, and closeness to a best friend decrease stability in the multivariate model Perceptions of social approval are better
at predicting stability than actual approval. The effects of social networks occur even after controlling for the significant
effects of dyadic variables such as the perceived existence of alternatives, closeness to the partner, and arguing. Findings
confirm the positive and negative roles of social ties and support the argument that friendships can compete with romantic
relationships for companionship.
Evidence from the anthropological record indicates that in most human societies, parents control the mating access to their offspring. Based on these data, a model of sexual selection has been recently proposed, whereby along with female and male choice, parental choice constitutes a significant sexual selection force in our species. This model was found to provide a good account for the mating patterns which are typical of foraging societies. By employing data from the Standard Cross Cultural Sample, the present study aims at examining whether this model can also account for the mating patterns typical of agricultural and pastoral societies. In addition, comparisons between different society types are made and two model-derived hypotheses are tested. First, it is hypothesised that parents have more control over their offspring's mate choices in non-foraging societies. Second, it is hypothesised that male parents exert greater decision making power in agropastoral societies than in hunting and gathering ones. Both hypotheses are supported by the results presented here. The evolutionary implications of these findings are also explored.
Confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) models are frequently used in many areas of organizational research. Due to their popularity, CFA models and issues about their fit have received a vast amount of attention during the past several decades. The purpose of this study was to examine several measures of fit and the appropriateness of previously developed ‘‘rules of thumb’’ for their interpretation. First, an empirical example is used to illustrate the effects of nonnormality on maximum likelihood (ML) estimation and to demonstrate the importance of diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) estimation for organizational research. Then, the results of a simulation study are presented to show that appropriate cutoff values for DWLS estimation vary considerably across conditions. Finally, regression equations are described to aid researchers in selecting cutoff values for assessing the fit of DWLS solutions, given a desired level of Type I error. The results summarized here have important implications for the interpretation and use of CFA models.
This study examined the relationship between couples' network interdependence and marital quality in a sample of 347 couples that were recruited at the time of their first marriage. Husbands and wives completed separate, self-administered questionnaires at home. Analyses are based on data collected at the time of marriage, at the first anniversary, and at the second anniversary. Results indicated that after marriage, husbands' and wives' friend and family networks became increasingly interdependent. Moreover, the interdependence of the friend and family networks at marriage predicted wives' marital quality at the first anniversary, whereas wives' marital quality at the first anniversary predicted the interdependence of the friend network at the second anniversary. No significant longitudinal relations were observed for husbands.
Using a couple-centered approach, the authors examined assortative mating on a broad range of variables in a large (N = 291) sample of newlyweds. Couples showed substantial similarity on attitude-related domains but little on personality-related domains. Similarity was not due to social homogamy or convergence. The authors examined linear and curvilinear effects of spouse similarity on self and observer indicators of marital quality. Results show (a) positive associations between similarity and marital quality for personality-related domains but not for attitude-related domains, (b) that similarity on attachment characteristics were most strongly predictive of satisfaction, (c) robust curvilinear effects for husbands but not for wives, (d) that profile similarity remained a significant predictor of marital quality even when spouses' self-ratings were controlled, and (e) that profile-based similarity indices were better predictors of marital quality than absolute difference scores.
This study examined the role of couple similarity in spouses' marital satisfaction and affect. The associations between spousal similarity and relationship measures were examined in a sample of 248 married couples. As hypothesized, greater similarity between partners was associated with higher levels of marital satisfaction and lower levels of negative affect. In particular, similarity on the gendered personality and values domains was more strongly associated with relationship measures, whereas similarity on the attitudes and religiosity domains showed weaker and inconsistent patterns of associations. Finally, profile-based similarity tended to be a stronger and more consistent correlate of relationship measures than difference score-based similarity. The implications of these findings for processes underlying intimate relationships are discussed.
The present study took a critical look at a central construct in couples research: relationship satisfaction. Eight well-validated self-report measures of relationship satisfaction, including the Marital Adjustment Test (MAT; H. J. Locke & K. M. Wallace, 1959), the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; G. B. Spanier, 1976), and an additional 75 potential satisfaction items, were given to 5,315 online participants. Using item response theory, the authors demonstrated that the MAT and DAS provided relatively poor levels of precision in assessing satisfaction, particularly given the length of those scales. Principal-components analysis and item response theory applied to the larger item pool were used to develop the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI) scales. Compared with the MAS and the DAS, the CSI scales were shown to have higher precision of measurement (less noise) and correspondingly greater power for detecting differences in levels of satisfaction. The CSI scales demonstrated strong convergent validity with other measures of satisfaction and excellent construct validity with anchor scales from the nomological net surrounding satisfaction, suggesting that they assess the same theoretical construct as do prior scales. Implications for research are discussed.
In this chapter, the model of parental choice is applied to societies which base their subsistence on agriculture and animal husbandry. As in the case of societies which base their subsistence on hunting and gathering, the model predicts that parental choice is a strong selection force, with more control exercised over daughters than over sons and male parents being more influential than female parents over their children’s mating decisions. It is further predicted that individual mate choice is a weak sexual selection force. Evidence from the anthropological and historical records on agropastoral societies is presented which provides a strong support for these predictions.
This paper examines three questions relative to mate selection in contemporary Turkey: Among which population segments are love match versus traditional arranged marriages found? What impact does self-selection of mate have on conjugal homogamy? and, What impact does the type of marriage arrangement have on marriage behavior? Sample survey data from Ankara, Turkey, were utilized in the analysis. Results suggest that the adoption of innovation in marriage patterns is greatest among the more modern segments of the population, that homogamy is as great among self-selected as among kin-selected spouses, and that the type of marriage arrangement has a small but independent impact on marriage behavior. A sequential model of the development of modernism in marital behavior was suggested.
Changes in marital quality and marital conflict are explored in a longitudinal study of White and African American couples making the transition to parenthood within the first 2 years of marriage (38 White, 27 African American) and a group of couples who remained childless (75 White, 31 African American). Results show that White and African American spouses who become parents report lower marital happiness and more frequent conflicts after the transition than before. White parents also report higher marital tension and a greater likelihood to become quiet and withdrawn during conflict after the birth of their child. For new mothers and fathers, conflict behaviors predict marital happiness in similar ways—attacking the spouse and leaving the scene of the conflict predicted lower marital happiness, and becoming quiet and withdrawn predicted higher marital happiness. These patterns are similar for both African American and White spouses.
In this study we examined how support from parents and friends for the romantic relationships of young adults affects the quality of their relationships and the likelihood that their relationships break up over time. Data were gathered over 2 years from a group of romantic couples. Support was found for the positive effect of network support on the quality of the relationship in both cross-sectional and panel analyses. Hazard analyses showed that the female partner's perceived network support increased the stability of the relationships. No evidence was found for the Romeo and Juliet effect.
This article describes development of a theory of solidarity among parents and children during the adult family life course. Four stages in the theory's development are reported here. Presented first is a taxonomy of six dimensions of intergenerational family cohesion—association, affection, consensus, resource sharing, the strength of familism norms, and the opportunity structure for interaction—reflecting conceptual contributions from classical social theory, social psychology, and family sociology. An initial formal theoretical specification of interrelationships among a subset of the six elements is reviewed, as well as two independent tests of that model. Second, a revision of the theory informed by results of the two empirical tests is presented. Third, elements of the revised theory are translated into a structural equation model, which is tested with data collected from 363 pairs of elderly parents and middle-aged adult children. These data provided support for seven of nine propositions derived from the reformulated theory. The major finding concerns interrelationships among normative integration, affection, and association. Greater endorsements of familial primacy norms by parents and children were associated with higher ratings of intergenerational affection. Greater affection was, in turn, related to more frequent association when opportunity for interaction was controlled. The fourth stage in theory development reported here includes discussion of the new results and suggestions for future conceptual and empirical work.
The role of social networks has been largely overlooked in research on dyadic involvement. Hypotheses linking network involvement and romantic involvement were developed from an analysis of the interpersonal processes undelying structural transitivity. Data were gathered on 193 premarital romantic relationships. Results showed that romantic involvement was positively associated with perceived support from the subject's own network of family and friends, perceived support from the partner's network, attraction to the partner's network, communication with the partner's network, and the number of people met in the partner's network. Further analysis indicated that the network factors were tightly interrelated. Differences in support received from various network sectors were small, but significant. The "Romeo and Juliet" effect only occurred in one sector of the network and then for only some levels of some variables. The predominant relationship between social support and romantic involvement was positive and linear.
In seeing Europe as the forerunner in the development of industrial capitalism and of lower fertility, historians have examined predisposing factors in the web of family variables that may have led to these conditions. The influential hypothesis by John Hajnal draws a sharp line between the regimes of Europe and the rest of the world, particularly Asia. It acknowledges that mean household size does not differ significantly in the two cases, but attributes the difference to the contrast between the "joint households" of the East and the single-couple arrangements of the West. This article contends that the data do not fully justify such a sharp dichotomy. In particular, the categorization exaggerates the differences with respect to internal structure and also with respect to the related problems of family labor and service, household fission, and the public (rather than the familial) safety net for the aged poor.
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In recent decades, arranged marriages have become less common in many parts of Asia. This paper explores people's schemas surrounding just such a marital change in one Indian village using semi‐structured interviews (N = 30) and ethnographic fieldwork. Respondents categorize marriages into two main types: arranged marriages and elopements, also called love marriages. Arranged marriages were common in the past, while elopements are now dominant. Both types of marriages have characteristics that are perceived positively and the ideal marriage is a hybrid of the two. Respondents ascribe the rise of love marriages to educational expansion, technological change, and foreign influence. Many also see it as an inevitable part of a larger process of socioeconomic change. These schemas are strongly shaped by global influences, but also reflect multiple layers of local beliefs and cultures. The schemas also demonstrate a complex integration of both structural and ideational factors in accounting for marital change.
Following the Waller-Hill hypothesis that the reflexive behavior of significant others contributes to the formation and maintenance of heterosexual dyads, this longitudinal study of 316 pair relationships examines some interrelations between social reaction and dyadic formation. The underlying assumptions of this study specify that when Social Reaction (SR) is withheld or denied by significant others, pair relationships tend to be transitory and few develop into comprehensive dyads. When SR is offered by significant others and internalized by members of a pair, the resulting dyad may be launched into a more permanent career. The hypotheses were supported by the data. Not only was pretest SR significantly related to the continuance and dissolution of the pair relationships over a ten-week period, but to significantly higher post-test scores on a number of dyadic formation indices.
This paper critically examines the operationalization of marital quality indices used as dependent variables. First, it looks at the functioning and construction of marital quality variables. In particular, Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale is used to illustrate the arguments. Second, it presents both semantic and empirical criteria to judge the development of a marital quality index. Finally, it presents a Quality Marriage Index (QMI) based on the introduced criteria. This index was constructed using data from 430 people across four states. Several advantages of the QMI over more traditional measures are shown in terms of how covariates relate to the index.
Using a sample of married individuals employed full-time (N = 1,117), this study examined the mediating effects of constructive and destructive communication between partners on the relationship between work–family conflict and marital satisfaction. Results from structural equation modeling revealed that work–family conflict was significantly and negatively related to marital satisfaction. This relationship became insignificant when constructive and destructive communication were added to the model, evidence for full mediation. This was confirmed with Sobel’s test for mediation. Results suggest that teaching communcation skills may be a potent point of intervention for couples who experience high levels of work–family conflict.
Changes in practices and views related to marriage were investigated by conducting interviews with respondents of Turkic origin residing in the capitals of Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan: three Turkic cultures with different historical backgrounds. The results revealed that, with some exceptions, practices related to marriage demonstrated a trend toward modernity in all three samples. The most rapid and consistent pattern of transition was evidenced for the Ankara sample, the Ashkabat sample revealed both change and stability, whereas the Baku sample demonstrated the least amount of change with respect to practices related to marriage. Less change was evidenced for attitudes. The results were discussed with reference to historical events and value systems surrounding national identities of the respective cultures. It was argued that, in the case of Turkmenistan, symbols of the clan system were retained and changes were consistent with basic values of the Oguz family. In the case of Azerbaijan, relative gender equality and elaborate ceremonies involving the extended family were construed as attempts at preserving Turkish identity in the face of Russian domination. Lastly, it was argued that the official endorsement of Western-style families, contact with the West, and rejection of Eastern ways for over a century in Turkey has resulted in the most consistent pattern of relationships between different indicators of the Western-style family.
Forty‐five individuals (22 couples and 1 widowed person) living in arranged marriages in India completed questionnaires measuring marital satisfaction and wellness. The data were compared with existing data on individuals in the United States living in marriages of choice. Differences were found in importance of marital characteristics, but no differences in satisfaction were found. Differences were also found in 9 of 19 wellness scales between the 2 groups. Implications for further research are considered.
Available data strongly suggest that the household formation systems of all populations in preindustrial NW Europe shared common features that distinguished these populations from those in India, China, and many other preindustrial societies. Using censuses and similar data sources, this essay describes and contrasts household formation rules common to NW European simple household systems of the 17th and 18th centuries with those common to joint household systems. In NW Europe, late marriage was common for both sexes, and married people were almost always in charge of their own household (with the husband as head). Before marriage, young people often circulated between households as servants. In joint household systems both sexes married early and the young couple usually joined the husband' household. The paper devotes special attention to the way in which the splitting of joint households operated in different societies. Another section shows how a substantial proportion of young people in preindustrial NW Europe were servants at some stage. It is suggested that the institution of service may have been an essential part of the mechanism that adjusted fertility to prevailing economic conditions. -Author
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between loneliness and marital adjustment in Turkish couples. Some demographic correlates of loneliness and marital adjustment such as gender, age, duration of the marriage, type of marriage, and degree of acquaintance before marriage were also examined. The UCLA Loneliness Scale (D. Russell, L. A. Peplau, & C. E. Cutrona, 1980) and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (G. B. Spanier, 1976) were administered to 58 heterosexual married couples. The results showed that loneliness was significantly and negatively correlated with marital adjustment. For the demographic correlates, significant results were as follows: Self-selected marriages resulted in lower loneliness scores and higher marital adjustment scores than the arranged type of marriage, and marital adjustment increased parallel to an increase in the degree of acquaintance before marriage. The findings and implications are discussed in the context of practice and research.
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One hundred and thirty Turkish couples were interviewed twice during the first year of marriage. One fifth of the couples were involved in traditional family-initiated marriages and the rest were involved in Western-style couple-initiated marriages. The interviews included questions related to demographic measures, marital functioning, and relationships with social network. Analyses revealed earlier parenthood, greater decision power of women for housework-related decisions, and less frequent interaction with wife's than husband's family during the first months of marriage for family- than for couple-initiated marriages. Similarities such as gender stereotypic division of labour and marital decision making, high degrees of reported emotional involvement with spouse, reports of close feelings for and almost weekly contacts with the families of origin were also found. It was seen that, with time, husbands contributed more to traditional male duties and that the reported frequency of interaction with families and friends decreased. There was some evidence, with respect to interaction with social network, of convergence between the two types of marriage within the first year. The results were discussed in relation to interplay of marital typologies with time and culture.
Most of the quantitative research on marital quality in the 1980s dealt with issues emphasized in earlier research, but on the average the 1980s studies were methodologically superior to the earlier ones. Debate and discussion during the decade led to some decline in conceptual confusion, and while the research produced only a modest increment in understanding of the causes and consequences of marital success, it laid the foundation for greater progress in the years to come.
Customary and religious laws and practices are often used as tools to control women's sexuality and to maintain the imbalance of power in sexual relations.. This paper describes customary and religious laws and beliefs and their impact on the situation ofboth rural and urban women in Eastern Turkey, based on a study among 599 women from the region, most of whom are or have been married. It shows that early marriage and polygyny are still prevalent religious marriage still takes place earlier than civil marriage although the former is not legallybinding, forced marriages still take place and arranged marriages are still the majority, though more younger women expected to be able to choose theirpartners. The study also finds that most women would feel unable to seek divorce if their husbands had an extra-marital relationship, but many women feared the custom of so-called honour killing if they are suspected of such an affair. Next to none of the women had ever sought legal recourse against domestic violence or marital rape, though these are commonly experienced. A human rights training programme for women, a public awareness campaign against honour killings of women accused of adultery, and a campaign to alter the Turkish Criminal Code have been set up to address some of these issues.
This study reports on the development of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, a new measure for assessing the quality of marriage and other similar dyads. The 32 item scale is designed for use with either married or unmarried cohabiting couples. Despite widespread criticisms of the concept of adjustment, the study proceeds from the pragmatic position that a new measure, which is theoretically grounded, relevant, valid, and highly reliable, is necessary since marital and dyadic adjustment continue to be researched. This factor analytic study tests a conceptual definition set forth in earlier work and suggests the existence of four empirically verified components of dyadic adjustment which can be used as subscales [dyadic satisfaction, dyadic cohesion, dyadic consensus and affectional expression]. Evidence is presented suggesting content, criterion related, and construct validity. High scale reliability is reported. The possibility of item weighting is considered and endorsed as a potential measurement technique, but it is not adopted for the present Dyadic Adjustment Scale. It is concluded that the Dyadic Adjustment Scale represents a significant improvement over other measures of marital adjustment, but a number of troublesome methodological issues remain for future research.
Data from five waves of a longitudinal study of romantic couples were analyzed to examine how the partners’perceptions of social network attributes (i.e., network approval for the relationship, network overlap, liking for partner's network) change with the passage of time and relationship transitions. The results indicated that perceptions of network approval, especially from the male partner's friends, tended to increase over time for the participants whose relationship remained intact throughout the longitudinal study. Furthermore, the transitions to engagement and to marriage were also associated with an increase in network approval from the male's friends. Individuals who experienced a breakup during the study reported more network approval than disapproval for the breakup. Finally, the likelihood of a breakup was significantly lower the more approval women reported from their friends and the more women expressed liking for their partner's family at Time 1 (these same associations were nonsignificant for men). These findings provide support for various social network perspectives, including social reactance (Lewis, 1973).
This study examines whether both parents’ relationships with their offspring, parents, and parents-in-law matter for young adults’ perceptions of closeness to grandparents. This study focuses on two groups of grandchildren (ages 18 – 23) in Wave 2 of the National Survey of Families and Households: young adults with married biological parents (N = 442) and those whose biological mother is not married to their biological father (N = 399). Findings suggest that it is important to examine grandparent-grandchild ties within a complete kinship network. Parents’ relationships with the grandchild and grandparent generations were associated with the grandparent-grandchild bond. In support of the kinkeeping perspective, mothers’ intergenerational ties across lineage lines appeared to be more influential for grandparent-grandchild relationships than fathers’.
This article examines the adequacy of the “rules of thumb” conventional cutoff criteria and several new alternatives for various fit indexes used to evaluate model fit in practice. Using a 2‐index presentation strategy, which includes using the maximum likelihood (ML)‐based standardized root mean squared residual (SRMR) and supplementing it with either Tucker‐Lewis Index (TLI), Bollen's (1989) Fit Index (BL89), Relative Noncentrality Index (RNI), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Gamma Hat, McDonald's Centrality Index (Mc), or root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA), various combinations of cutoff values from selected ranges of cutoff criteria for the ML‐based SRMR and a given supplemental fit index were used to calculate rejection rates for various types of true‐population and misspecified models; that is, models with misspecified factor covariance(s) and models with misspecified factor loading(s). The results suggest that, for the ML method, a cutoff value close to .95 for TLI, BL89, CFI, RNI, and Gamma Hat; a cutoff value close to .90 for Mc; a cutoff value close to .08 for SRMR; and a cutoff value close to .06 for RMSEA are needed before we can conclude that there is a relatively good fit between the hypothesized model and the observed data. Furthermore, the 2‐index presentation strategy is required to reject reasonable proportions of various types of true‐population and misspecified models. Finally, using the proposed cutoff criteria, the ML‐based TLI, Mc, and RMSEA tend to overreject true‐population models at small sample size and thus are less preferable when sample size is small.
The marriage relationship is considered as a special case of pair relationships in general, and its cohesiveness is interpreted according to concepts drawn from Lewinian field theory. The hypothetical constructs of “attraction” and “barrier” forces, as well as contrasting “alternative attractions,” are used to organize the research literature on the determinants of marital stability and dissolution.
We use data from two national surveys of married individuals—one from 1980 and the other from 2000—to understand how three dimensions of marital quality changed during this period. Marital happiness and divorce proneness changed little between 1980 and 2000, but marital interaction declined significantly. A decomposition analysis suggested that offsetting trends affected marital quality. Increases in marital heterogamy, premarital cohabitation, wives' extended hours of employment, and wives' job demands were associated with declines in multiple dimensions of marital quality. In contrast, increases in economic resources, decision-making equality, nontraditional attitudes toward gender, and support for the norm of lifelong marriage were associated with improvements in multiple dimensions of marital quality. Increases in husbands' share of housework appeared to depress marital quality among husbands but to improve marital quality among wives.
We investigate the effects of nonfamily experiences on marital relationships in a setting characterized by high levels of arranged marriage until recently. Drawing on theoretical frameworks for the study of families and social change, we argue that the expansion of opportunities for nonfamily experiences will increase the likelihood of marital relationships based on an emotional bond between husbands and wives. Using data from 3,724 individuals in rural Nepal, we find consistent effects of educational experiences across multiple dimensions of marriage. These effects point toward the spread of education as a stimulus to marriages characterized by higher levels of love and discussions between spouses, and lower levels of conflict and spouse abuse. Results suggest that studies of marital dynamics in non-Western settings provide a fruitful avenue for new research on marriage.
The practice of computing correlations between “difference” or “discrepancy” scores and an outcome variable is common in many areas of social science. Relationship researchers most commonly use difference scores to index the (dis)similarity of members of two-person relationships. Using an intuitive, graphical approach—and avoiding formulas and pointing fingers—we illustrate problems with using difference score correlations in relationship research, suggest ways to ensure that difference score correlations are maximally informative, and briefly review alternatives to difference score correlations in studying similarity, accuracy, and related constructs.
Marriage quality is much studied, but mostly in the West. This study applies such research to a large, representative sample of couples from urban China using a multidimensional measure of marriage quality. Characteristics unique to Chinese families—the importance of parental approval of mates and the importance of marriage type—continue to exert a strong influence on the pattern of marriage quality. However, results also support Western feminist arguments that egalitarian behaviors—division of chores and decision making—and attitudes strongly impact marriage quality, but in sometimes unique ways for each gender. As in the West, children are associated with lower marriage quality, partly through increasing domestic inequality, but only in certain types of marriages.
Scientific study of marital satisfaction attracted widespread attention in the 1990s from scholars representing diverse orientations and goals. This article highlights key conceptual and empirical advances that have emerged in the past decade, with particular emphasis on (a) interpersonal processes that operate within marriage, including cognition, affect, physiology, behavioral patterning, social support, and violence; (b) the milieus within which marriages operate, including microcontexts (e.g., the presence of children, life stressors and transitions) and macrocontexts (e.g., economic factors, perceived mate availability); and (c) the conceptualization and measurement of marital satisfaction, including 2-dimensional, trajectory-based, and social-cognitive approaches. Notwithstanding the continued need for theoretical progress in understanding the nature and determinants of marital satisfaction, we conclude by calling for more large-scale longitudinal research that links marital processes with sociocultural contexts, for more disconfirmatory than confirmatory research, and for research that directly guides preventive, clinical, and policy-level interventions.
Despite the wealth of research on marital satisfaction, little is known about the cross-effects of husband and wife variables on the satisfaction of the self, on the one hand, and the spouse, on the other. The study presents a model that simultaneously examines the direct and indirect effects of several sociocultural factors on the satisfaction of each spouse. In a sample of 206 Israeli couples, linear structural relationships path analysis revealed two dominant effects: the husband's liberalism and his desire to marry. The more liberal his attitudes and the stronger that desire, the greater the marital satisfaction of both spouses. Men were more satisfied when they themselves held liberal views and when their wives held conservative ones. Premarital cohabitation and the pattern of spouse selection had little effect on marital satisfaction, implying that arranged marriages and autonomous choice constitute symmetric options.
A structural equation model is proposed with a generalized measurement part, allowing for dichotomous and ordered categorical variables (indicators) in addition to continuous ones. A computationally feasible three-stage estimator is proposed for any combination of observed variable types. This approach provides large-sample chi-square tests of fit and standard errors of estimates for situations not previously covered. Two multiple-indicator modeling examples are given. One is a simultaneous analysis of two groups with a structural equation model underlying skewed Likert variables. The second is a longitudinal model with a structural model for multivariate probit regressions.
The article aims to present the results of a comparative analysis of cohabitation biographies (marital, non-marital and pre-marital cohabitation) between Germans without a migration background and Turkish nationals in Germany. To this end, the data of the Generations and Gender Surveys (GGS) from 2005 and 2006 (for Turkish citizens) are used. The results show a fundamentally different lifestyle of Turks in comparison to Germans, in particular within the younger age groups: Turks more seldom have more than one cohabitation, and have shorter pre-marital phases. Non-marital cohabitation is for Turks more seldom an alternative to marriage. All in all, a major change takes place among Germans from older to younger cohorts as to their experience of nonmarital cohabitation, the latter having become the norm among the latter in the course of a biography. This change is virtually unknown among Turks. The age and cohort, the level of education, religiosity and acceptance of non-marital cohabitation impact the experience of non-marital co-habitation.
This study examines changes in leisure patterns across the transition to parenthood for dual-earner, working-class couples, as well as the relationship between leisure and marital quality. To this end, 147 heterosexual couples were interviewed across the transition to parenthood. Findings indicate that during the transition to parenthood, husbands and wives experience an initial decline in leisure, followed by a gradual incline after the wife's return to work. Overall, wives who reported more shared leisure prenatally also reported more marital love and less conflict 1 year later. Husbands with more independent leisure prenatally reported less love and more conflict 1 year later. Conclusions suggest leisure time is integral to well-functioning marriages, with effects lasting throughout the first year of parenthood.
Marital Happiness Marital Duration and the U - Shaped Curve Social van Zantvliet Parental Involvement in Partner Choice : The Case of Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands
- VanLaningham