A Study of Attitudes of Women towards Marriage as Related to Personality and Demographic Factors in Bangladesh

Abstract

The present study attempts at investigating the similarities and differences of attitudes towards marriage in the continuum of progressivism-traditionalism of unmarried and married women as related to socio-political attitudes, personality variables and demographic factors in Bangladesh within the framework of socio-cultural, economic, political background. The study has been developed under the theoretical frame work of different approaches: (i) Linton's sociological approach of role theory (ii) Coombs value theory of mate selection (iii) Edwards' social exchange theory (iv) Winch's complementary needs theory (v) Kirchhoff & Davis filter theory (vi) Radicalism-conservatism approaches (vii) Ratter’s social learning theory and internal-external control of personality (viii) Rotech’s beliefs and attitude approach (ix) Rotech’s open-minded - close-minded and dogmatic approach. All these approaches have been utilized and integrated in order to show similarities and differences of attitudes towards marriage between working and nonworking, high SES and middle SES unmarried and married women. The present study utilized a multidimensional correlational approach with a criterion group design. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase criterion groups of supportive and no supportive women for attitude towards marriage of unmarried and married women, working and nonworking were selected Marriage Criteria Questionnaires (MCQ). This criterion group of women was selected from the residential background of Rajshahi and Chittagong. These total women were divided into unmarried and married women. These two types of women again divided into working and nonworking on the basis of MCQ. Again women were further subdivided high SES and middle SES according to their responses regarding educational, occupational and income background mentioned in the personal information sheet (PIS). The use of this criterion group design has considerable advantages in highlighting the differences between working and nonworking high SES and middle SES of unmarried and married in relation to their attitude towards marriage in the progressivism traditionalism continuum, socio­political attitudes and personality variables of I-E control, dogmatism selected for the study. In the second phase criterion group were measure (1) Progressivism traditionalism attitude (PTA) (2) Sociopolitical attitudes (R-C scale) (3) Internal-external control of personality variable (I-E) (4) Dogmatic personality and Demographic variables. The attitude measure included (a) progressivism-traditionalism attitude (PTA) scale was constructed by the present investigator. (b) Aria’s C-R scale was modified by the present investigator which was named as R-C scale. Personality measures included (a) Rotter's I-E control of personality (Ara's Bengali version) (b) Rokeach's Dogmatic personality scale (Ara's Bengali version). Marriage criteria questionnaire included unmarried and married as well as working and nonworking. Personal information sheet included high SES and middle SES questionnaire. This study utilized two samples drawn from two residential backgrounds of Rajshahi and Chittagong one was unmarried and the other was married. Each sample was composed of 120 participant equally divided into working and nonworking women. These groups were again subdivided into high SES and middle SES women. Thus each category was composed 30 female participants. Thus the sample was composed of 240 female participants have highest educational degree like graduation, post graduation; some of them were teachers of different colleges, doctors and bankers. Analyses of data have been divided into three parts. In the first part intergroup and intergroup differences on attitude towards marriage and socio-political attitudes, personality variables and demographic variables have been computed by univariate method using t-test. In the second part of analyses bi-serial correlation through product moment method were computed to find out the similarities of attitudinal variables and personality variables of intergroup and intergroup. In third part the strength of relationship of all these variables has been shown through inter variable correlations using Pearson's product moment method for unmarried and married women separately. Results obtained strongly supported the hypotheses. It showed that attitude towards marriage were considerably moderated by socio­political attitudes, personality factors, SES and working-nonworking background. One of the important findings reflected through the intervariable correlation was the highest correlations were obtained between attitudes towards marriage and socio-political attitudes in two categories of women in Bangladesh. Thus women's attitudes towards marriage did appear to be important variable in determining the socio­political attitudes conditioned by the progressive attitudes of the literate women. The findings of the present study are explainable by Linton's sociological approach of role theory, Coombs' value theory of mate selection, Edwards' social exchange theory, Winch complementary needs theory, Kerkhoff and Davis filter theory, radicalism-conservatism approach, Rotter's social learning theory and internal-external control and Rokeach's openminded-closeminded of dogmatic personality theory. All the respondents were female. This choice was preferred to keep the gender variable control. The main objectives of the present investigation were to make a comparative study of the patterns of attitudes and personality of high SES women and middle SES women, working and nonworking women of unmarried and married as related to (i) attitudes towards marriage like pre-marriage involvement, mate selection, marital adjustment, marriage and occupational role, kinship and in-laws, conventional marriage in the progressivism-traditionalism continuum, (ii) socio-political attitudinal variable of radicalism-conservatism continuum, (iii) personality variable of internal-external control, (iv) dogmatic personality of unmarried and married women (v) demographic background of high SES and middle SES as well as working and nonworking women in Bangladesh. Three specific hypotheses were formulated. These are as follows: i. It is hypothesized that unmarried women would be more progressive, more radical, more internally controlled and more open-minded as compared to married women on the attitudinal and personality variables respectively. ii. It is hypothesized that working women would be more progressive, more radical, more internally controlled and more open-minded as compared to nonworking women on the attitudinal and personality variables respectively. iii. It is hypothesized that high SES women would be more progressive, more radical, more internally controlled, more open-minded as compared to middle SES women on the attitudinal and persona I ity variables respectively. In this study an attempt has also been made to integrate all these approaches into a new theoretical perspective in which progressive attitudes along with social-political attitudes, personality characteristics socio-economic status and working-nonworking factors jointly shape the progressive attitudes. The study has emphasized socio-political cultural, economical and educational factors instead of genetic factors as the determinants of attitudes towards marriage in the direction of progress1v1sm which might cause socio-political and economic development in Bangladesh.