Religiosity, masculinity, and marital satisfaction among Javanese Muslim men

Abstract

This exploratory study describes Javanese Muslim men's definitions of masculinity or manhood. The research study involved interviewing key informants, group interviews with Javanese men, and survey research. In this sequential mixed-methods research design, the construct of masculinity was operationalized and relationships between religiosity, masculinity, and marital satisfaction and harmony were explored. Men's perceptions of the changing gender roles in Javanese society were also examined as they relate to marital satisfaction. Masculinity experiences were rated for their importance and included head of family responsibilities, being strong, constructive relationships with others, and constructive mental activity. The survey research showed religiosity related positively to the importance of the masculinity experiences, marital satisfaction, and marital harmony, and the positive relationship between religiosity and marital satisfaction was mediated by the importance of masculinity experiences. The findings are discussed within the context of Javanese culture.

When and how does the number of children affect marital satisfaction? An international survey

“…Furthermore, religious people may not consider maternity in terms of inner conflict between individual aims and parent obligations [6,69]. On the contrary, religiosity may promote traditional roles (i.e., being a parent, a spouse), and thus, positively influence the link between parenthood and marital satisfaction [70][71][72].…”

Religious Affiliation and Marital Satisfaction: Commonalities Among Christians, Muslims, and Atheists

“…Nevertheless, few data exist on how religious affiliation affects marital satisfaction; and even when studies have taken up this topic, they have had limitations. For example, they have mainly focused on various dimensions of religiosity (e.g., church attendance, religious homogamy, and theological conservatism), and not the specific religion (Schumm et al, 1989;Shehan et al, 1990;Booth et al, 1995;Brandt, 2004;Gaunt, 2006;Vaaler et al, 2009;Wade and Wiloso, 2016); examined people of different religions, but without further comparing the effects of each religion on marital satisfaction (Sullivan, 2001;Williams and Lawler, 2003;Olson et al, 2016); looked at members of one religion (Christian: Shehan et al, 1990;Anthony, 1993;Booth et al, 1995;Sullivan, 2001;Williams and Lawler, 2003;Asamarai et al, 2008;Lichter and Carmalt, 2009;Christian andJewish: Heaton, 1984(Muslim: Al-Othman, 2012;Fard et al, 2013;Al-Darmaki et al, 2016;Mormon: Schramm et al, 2012); been conducted in one country (United States: Brandt, 2004;Marks, 2005;Brown et al, 2008;Schramm et al, 2012;Israel: Gaunt, 2006;Iran: Fard et al, 2013(United Arab Emirates: Al-Othman, 2012Al-Darmaki et al, 2016;Ghana: Dabone, 2012); or included only low-income married couples (Lichter and Carmalt, 2009). Furthermore, results from those studies brought mixed results.…”

Religiosity, masculinity, and marital and life satisfaction among Balinese Hindu men

“…These findings lend support to the qualitative data that indicates Balinese manhood places importance on human relationships and the happiness of others, especially within the family and community. In a study of Javanese Muslim men, the top ten masculinity attributes were all related to head of family responsibilities, although having constructive relationships with others was also identified as a masculinity attribute (Wade & Wiloso, 2016) and within Javanese culture harmony is the most important value in human relationships (Albert, Trommsdorff, Mayer, & Schwarz, 2005;Megawangi, Zeitlin, & Colletta, 1995). Additionally, the finding for Balinese men is inconsistent with a study of 10,934 men across five Asian countries (China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan) in which having a good job, being seen as a man of honor, and being in control of your own life were found to be the top three most important masculinity attributes (Ng, Tan, & Low, 2008).…”