Marital Power and Marital Satisfaction Among American Muslims
Date
2014-05
Authors
Chapman, Aliya Razvi
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Abstract
American Muslims value marriage and report concern about rising divorce rates in their community. This reported rise may relate to shifts in spousal power dynamics that are evident in gender role ideologies: American Muslims often hold traditional gender role beliefs but become more egalitarian with exposure to dominant American norms. It is rare to find investigations of marital power among American Muslims. This study defined marital power as power bases (gender role ideology and religiosity) and power outcomes (division of household tasks, decision-making, and childcare). It explored the effect of marital power on marital satisfaction in a sample of 219 American Muslims, using original cross-sectional data analyzed with hierarchical multiple regressions. It also assessed the effect of participants' parents/in-laws on their power and satisfaction. Participants were highly educated, religious, long-term American residents. They reported high marital satisfaction in contradiction to the community's fears of high marital discord. Participants' responses to measures of marital power indicated that they held egalitarian gender role ideology and divided household tasks and childcare in a moderately traditional way. Participants shared decision-making more equally than household tasks and childcare. Egalitarian power division predicted greater marital satisfaction for both genders. Very few participants reported that their parents/in-laws contributed to family tasks, suggesting that parents do not affect the marriage in this way. Overall, results indicate that participants' marriages are more similar to, than different from, non-Muslim American marriages.
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Keywords
Psychology, American Muslims, Extended family, Gender role ideology, Marital power, Marital quality, Religiosity