Marital Aspirations Research Articles

HIV status disclosure in the era of treat-all: the complexities of societal expectations and disclosure in marital relationships in Shinyanga, Tanzania.

Robust advancements in clinical treatment of people living with HIV (PLHIV) have resulted in the current "treatment as prevention" strategy: the inability to transmit the virus when it is undetectable. Nevertheless, disclosure within marital relationships remains important to adhere optimally to treatment and further limit transmission in the era of treat-all. Disclosure, however, can have serious social repercussions, particularly for women. This paper examines gendered disclosure decisions and their social consequences in marital relationships in Tanzania. Drawing from a 9-month ethnographic study in Shinyanga Region, we explore how Sukuma societal values shape disclosure decisions. In-depth interviews with 103 PLHIV and 19 FGDs inform our analysis. We found that societal values regarding gender and marriage significantly influence disclosure decisions in marital relationships. The HIV treat-all approach, with its focus on early treatment initiation preserved health and inability to transmit allowed men and women to carefully weigh the costs and benefits of disclosure to their marital aspirations. The benefits of antiretroviral treatment for social relations are often overlooked in medical interventions. We conclude that to reduce difficult disclosure decisions for PLHIV, emphasising community awareness of HIV treatment as prevention to mitigate the negative impacts of disclosure is needed.

“I Would Like to, But My World Wouldn’t End If I Didn’t”: Marital Aspirations Among Sexual Minority Young Adults

Despite the legalization of same-sex marriage across the US, research on young adults’ marital aspirations has tended to overlook sexual identity altogether or focus exclusively on those who are heterosexual. To address this, in this article, I draw upon quantitative and qualitative data from an online survey to describe the marital aspirations and motivations of a convenience sample of sexual minority young adults ( N = 256). Descriptive analyses indicate that although a majority of respondents would like to marry someday, a similar number claim that getting married is not “a major life goal.” Those who want to marry cite several primary reasons, including companionship and lifelong commitment, but also qualify their marital aspirations in several ways, including by questioning both the necessity and normativity of marriage. The relatively small number of respondents do not want to marry express similar concerns and critique marriage as a heteronormative institution.

High Hopes, Low Dropout: Gender Differences in Aspirations for Education and Marriage, and Educational Outcomes in Rural Malawi

The relationship between aspirations and educational outcomes has been underexplored in sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on six waves of panel data from the Malawi Schooling and Adolescent Study, I use discrete time models to examine the relationship between aspirations for both education and marriage, and school dropout in Southern Malawi. Results show that, net of sociostructural constraints and students’ own educational experiences, girls who want to marry later are less likely to drop out of school during the study period. In addition, competing risk models show that girls who want to marry later are less likely to experience marriage-related dropout. Although there is some evidence that educational aspirations are associated with school dropout, this relationship weakens when marriage aspirations are held constant, particularly for girls. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering both educational and marital aspirations as pathways relevant to girls’ (but not boys’) educational outcomes.

Transnational Practices and Emotional Belonging among Early 20th-Century Greek Migrants in the United States

This article aims at studying transnational families dispersed among Greece and the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. It examines the ways in which transnationalism was a common way of being, acting and feeling strongly associated with the available “technologies” of those times, namely photographs, letters and private financial and judicial records. The focus is purposefully micro-historical, analyzing the private collections of two families in a small mountainous village community of the Greek south. Its purpose is to manifest the ways in which transnational families communicated, exchanged items, thoughts and emotions, fulfilled economic obligations and marital aspirations and, overall, created “proxy” transnational spaces. At the same time, shifting the focus to individuals, it aims at presenting the diversities of transnationalism as a lived experience, as unfolded in the personal records of migrants and their kin. Further, it explores transnationalism as a holistic, multi-faceted and all-encompassing ground, with its dynamics influencing not only migrants, but also their families and societies back in the homeland.

JessicaVasquez‐Tokos, Marriage Vows and Racial Choices, New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2017. xi + 272 p. $26.00.

JessicaVasquez‐Tokos, Marriage Vows and Racial Choices, New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2017. xi + 272 p. $26.00.

Why Marry? The Role of Tradition in Women's Marital Aspirations

While the individualisation trend has given way to a relational, reflexive turn in the sociology of relationships, there continues to be a writing out of convention and tradition in understanding relationship processes (excepting Gilding 2010 ). This paper aims to write tradition back into discussions around relationships by drawing on the accounts of young women and the central role that tradition plays in their relationship narratives. The analysis focuses on: participants’ accounts of marital security reflecting the desire for permanence in an impermanent world; accounts of romance and fairy tales in contrast to pragmatic concerns; and participants’ use of bricolage in combining the desire for ‘invented’ traditions with an emphasis on personal choice and agency. This paper highlights the ambivalent nature of the young women's discourse around relationships, agency and tradition: ultimately, themes of individualisation are revealed in their restatement of tradition. This emerges in three distinct ways: the emphasis on marital security appears as a response to ‘risky’ relationships; participants aspire to the ‘traditional family’ in response to growing fluidity in family relationships; and romance is appealed to in order to counteract their often very pragmatic approach to the life course. Thus, while there are changes in the ways couples can and do live in their relationships, there remains continuity in the ways that tradition is used by participants to articulate relationship aspirations. Tradition becomes reaffirmed in a context of individualism and de-traditionalisation which reflects a pragmatic response to changing social norms and values.

The Effect of Women’s Economic Status on Their Marital Aspirations

The Effect of Women’s Economic Status on Their Marital Aspirations

Explaining the Effect of Parent-Child Coresidence on Marriage Formation: The Case of Japan.

Many single adult children in countries around the world live with their parents. Such coresidence has been thought to delay the transition to first marriage, although the exact reasons for the delay have not been sufficiently examined. Using panel data from Japan, we investigate whether changes in never-married adults' residential status lead to alterations in their marital aspirations, courtship behaviors, romantic opportunities, and perceived obstacles to marrying. Our estimation of fixed-effects models helps address potential bias caused by single individuals' selection into living in the parental home. The analysis indicates that living with parents is associated with a lower probability of forming romantic relationships, thereby decelerating the transition to first marriage. The never-married, however, do not desire marriage less, put less effort into finding romantic partners, or have fewer opportunities to meet potential partners when coresiding with parents. Overall, the findings suggest that living in the parental home increases never-married men's contentment with their immediate social environment, whereas it decreases women's psychological readiness to transition into adult roles, making both men and women less eager to settle into a romantic relationship.

The Effects of Marital Culture and Social Structure on Marital Aspirations and Attitudes in “Fragile Families”

This research brings together insights from the fields of sociology and social work, providing an integrated study of marriage as a cultural and structural institution. The goals of the study are twofold: first, to empirically assess the predictive power of cultural versus structural elements of marital aspirations and attitudes among “fragile families”; second, to determine if the aforementioned relationship and outcomes differ by immigrant status. The results offer more support for the role of structure than the function of culture, suggesting that rather than demonizing disadvantaged families for having “defective” cultural values, policy planners and human service providers should recognize the importance of educational attainment and economic productivity in fragile families. Even populations most disposed to hold more “traditional” views of marriage and family life are constrained by the realities of structural disadvantage.

Transforming polygamy: migration, transnationalism and multiple marriages among Muslim minorities

AbstractIn Europe, polygamy is often portrayed as emblematic of unchanging patriarchal traditions among Muslims. In contrast, based on research with Pakistanis in Britain and Turks in Denmark, we explore ways in which polygamy is transformed in the context of migration and transnationalism. Migration‐related polygamy features in accounts of the pioneer generations of Pakistani and Turkish migrants to Europe, but there is also evidence of great variety in contemporary practices of multiple marriage, and new permutations of polygamy arising due to the specific conditions of transnational migration. Coexisting legal systems within and between nations; the opportunities of spousal settlement; multiple marital aspirations; and both transnational connections and geographical distance combine to create opportunities and motivations for a range of polygamous situations, including some in which ‘technical’ polygamy masks monogamy in practice.

The correlates of HIV testing and impacts on sexual behavior: evidence from a life history study of young people in Kisumu, Kenya

BackgroundHIV counseling and testing is considered an important component of HIV prevention and treatment. This paper examines the characteristics of young males and females at the time of first reported HIV test, including the influence of recent sexual partnerships, and investigates how HIV testing and the cumulative number of tests are associated with sexual behaviors within six months of testing.MethodsThe study uses data from a random sample of youth aged 18-24 years living in Kisumu, Kenya, who were interviewed using a 10-year retrospective life history calendar. Cox regression models were used to examine the correlates of the timing of first HIV test. Variance-correction models for unordered repeated events were employed to examine whether having an HIV test in the previous six months and the cumulative number of tests predict unsafe sexual practices in a given month.ResultsSixty-four percent of females and 55% of males reported at least one HIV test in the last 10 years and 40% of females were pregnant the month of first test. Significant correlates of first HIV test included marital aspirations among non-pregnant females, unprotected sex in the previous six months among pregnant females, and concurrency in the previous six months among males. Having a recent HIV test was associated with a decreased likelihood of unprotected sex among ever-pregnant females, an increased likelihood of unprotected sex and "risky" sexual partnerships among never-pregnant females, and an increased likelihood of concurrency among males. Repeated HIV testing was associated with a lower likelihood of concurrency among males and involvement in "risky" sexual partnerships among males and never-pregnant females.ConclusionsThe high rate of pregnancy at first test suggests that promotion of HIV testing as part of prevention of mother-to-child transmission is gaining success. Further research is warranted to examine how and why behavior change is influenced by client- versus provider-initiated testing. The influence of different sexual partnership variables for males and females suggests that interventions to assess risk and promote testing should be gender- and relationship-specific. The findings also suggest that encouraging repeat or routine testing could potentially increase the uptake of safer sexual behaviors.

Relationship Transitions Among Youth in Urban Kenya

The process of courtship and marriage in sub-Saharan Africa has changed remarkably. These changes, however, have received scant attention, as recent research has focused on adolescent relationships' links to HIV/AIDS rather than to marriage. Drawing on detailed reports of 1,365 romantic and sexual partnerships from youths in Kisumu, Kenya, we find that marital aspirations, school enrollment, emotional attraction, pregnancy, and independence from kin are all predictors of getting engaged or married. Furthermore, though men and women are much more likely to marry partners they believe are sexually exclusive, men who have multiple partners are actually more likely to get married. By focusing on the contemporary process of marriage, this paper offers an alternative portrayal of premarital relationships in sub-Saharan Africa.

Marital Aspirations, Sexual Behaviors, and HIV/AIDS in Rural Malawi

We explore how marital aspirations are related to the sexual behaviors of adolescents and young adults in Malawi, where HIV/AIDS prevalence among adults exceeds 10%. We also consider whether the specter of AIDS is shaping ideals about marriage. By combining survey data (N = 1,087) and in-depth interviews (N = 133) with young Malawians from the Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project, we show that looking for and finding a suitable spouse are linked to sexual behaviors and, thus, HIV risks. Moreover, concerns about contracting HIV are closely tied to the ideal characteristics of a future spouse. Our findings draw long-overdue attention to the importance of marital aspirations in understanding adolescent sexual behaviors and risks in the era of AIDS.

Parental and Marital Roles, Career Aspirations and Attitudes towards Marriage Among Young Women in Greece

Parental and Marital Roles, Career Aspirations and Attitudes towards Marriage Among Young Women in Greece

Why Don't They Just Get Married? Barriers to Marriage among the Disadvantaged

Kathryn Edin and Joanna Reed review recent research on social and economic barriers to marriage among the poor and discuss the efficacy of efforts by federal and state policymakers to promote marriage among poor unmarried couples, especially those with children, in light of these findings. Social barriers include marital aspirations and expectations, norms about childbearing, financial standards for marriage, the quality of relationships, an aversion to divorce, and children by other partners. Edin and Reed note that disadvantaged men and women highly value marriage but believe they are currently unable to meet the high standards of relationship quality and financial stability they believe are necessary to sustain a marriage and avoid divorce. Despite their regard for marriage, however, poor Americans do not view it as a prerequisite for childbearing, and it is typical for either or both parents in an unmarried-couple family to have a child by another partner. Economic barriers include men's low earnings, women's earnings, and the marriage tax. In view of these findings, Edin and Reed argue that public campaigns to convince poor Americans of the value of marriage are preaching to the choir. Instead, campaigns should emphasize the benefits for children of living with both biological parents and stress the harmful effects for children of high-conflict parental relationships. Programs to improve relationship quality must address head-on the significant problems many couple face. Because disadvantaged men and women view some degree of financial stability as a prerequisite for marriage, policymakers must address the instability and low pay of the jobs they typically hold as well as devise ways to promote homeownership and other asset development to encourage marriage. Moreover, programs need to help couples meet the challenges of parenting families where children are some combination of his, hers, and theirs. Encouraging more low-income couples to marry without giving them tools to help their marriages thrive may simply increase the divorce rate.

Orphanages in Egypt

This is an ethnographic study of girls’ orphanages in Egypt. It examines cultural notions of unwanted children and explores the attitudes, perceptions and managerial practices of six orphanages in and around Cairo. The institutions are characterized by various styles of surrogate mothering, educational and administrative practices, occupational training, and the marital aspirations and attitudes of their occupants.

Welfare Reform and Marriage Promotion: The Marital Expectations and Desires of Single and Cohabiting Mothers

Using nationally representative data, this examination of marital expectations, desires, and behaviors of single and cohabiting unmarried mothers suggests that a majority of unmarried women, including disadvantaged single and cohabiting mothers, value marriage as a personal goal. Among disadvantaged women, single mothers, and racial minority women, systematic differences point to subgroups with lower marital expectations. However, our results also indicate that marital desires do not easily translate into marriage. Accordingly, from a public policy perspective, single mothers’ attitudes about marriage need not be changed. The problem lies in identifying and reducing barriers that prevent single women from realizing marital aspirations.

Sexual health contraceptive needs of adolescents with chronic conditions.

Except for the most severely impaired adolescents, youth with disabilities are no less likely to be sexually active than peers. They have the same sexual and marital aspirations as those of peers but feel they are less likely to realize them. They are more likely to receive sexual counseling or sex education from parents. Most sexual problems are learned and result more from isolation than impairment. Most young people with chronic and disabling conditions do not have body image problems. Thus, clinicians need to be able to provide accurate contraceptive guidance as well as sexual health information.

Changing Family Structure and Fertility Patterns: An Indian Case

This paper analyses the relationship between the changing family structure and fertility patterns in a South Indian city. It points out that fertility decisions are made not only in relation to the couples' own marital and familial aspirations but also with regard to the social environment in which children are raised. Conditions which tend to discourage couples from having large families include the general scarcity of goods and services, limited opportunities for a good education and subsequent employment, and the dowry-dominated marriage market. This suggests that considerations governing the number of children desired are changing and that this will eventually have an impact on population growth.

Sex differences in sexuality among medical students: Effects of increasing socioeconomic status

Research has consistently shown that, compared to men, women are more cautious and selective and maintain greater marital aspirations in entering and maintaining sexual relationships. One explanation of this sex difference is that women have traditionally had inferior access to earning power and social status and consequently were forced to acquire socioeconomic status (SES) through their choice of marriage partners. A contrasting view is that this difference is a component of the basic sex difference identified in the Kinsey studies: Men are more likely than women to dissociate coitus from emotional attachment and to desire and seek coitus with a variety of partners. These two explanations were explored in open-ended interviews with matched samples of 20 male and 20 female medical students. The results were more consistent with the perspective of basic sex differences than with the differential resources explanation. Increasing female SES does not appear to eliminate or even substantially reduce this sex difference. Increasing SES tends to enlarge the pool of acceptable, available sexual and marital partners for men while it tends to reduce the pool for women. Increasing SES thus tends to have different effects on men and women and may cause sex differences in the tendency to associate coitus with emotional attachments and marital aspirations to be more, rather than less, apparent. Extensive case data with verbatim quotations are presented to reveal the emotions and desires underlying subjects' overt behavior.