Getting married in one's marriageable age believed as a normative stage of a human development in the advanced generations. People in these days believe that marriage become a choice of one's life rather than mandatory thing to do even they show changes in value and attitude towards marriage such as postpone the age for marriage, or abandon to get married. In spite of structuring towards attitude or value of marriage is not affected by only one variable and structure, most of studies had completed on one or two variables associated with marriage value which was limited to the fragmentary actual state examination. Moreover, an effectiveness of the indicated variables cannot be in-depth analyzed.
The purposes of this study are to present associated variables for marriage value among the single males and females for the individual, family, institutional, and environmental aspects, to protect cause of family problem accordance with associated variables, to utilize as a source material to predict changes in marriage value and future family, to manage program to control the main variable, and to present alternatives for an institutional plan or a practitional plan to maintain a healthy marriage life.
Verifying diverse, in-depth, and integral study for the affecting variables to the marriage value, the family ecological theory which understands individual from the sociocultural aspects that includes from neighboring environment of individual to currently living cultural environment of self. Based on the family ecological theory, a relative influence over the marriage attitude will be analyzed accordance with micro-system, mezzo-system, exo-system, and macro-system.
Total 654 single males and females who are 18 years-old and above participated to this study. The survey were gathered from October, 2008 to November, 2008 and the data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, correlation, and regression.
The outcome of this study is as follows;
First, Significant differences in the microsystem variables, which are self-concept clarity, psychological separation, and associating variables for dating (experience of dating, satisfaction level of dating, and experience pre-marital sex), have been monitored for the males, satisfaction level of dating and experience of pre-marital sex, and for the females, self-concept clarity and experience of pre-marital sex. In other words, for males who posses higher satisfaction, no experience in pre-marital, for females who have lower self-concept clarity, no experience in pre-marital sex have positive attitude to marriage value.
The difference in marriage value to the mezzo-system, which are parent-child relationship, family health status, awareness of parents' marital relationship, parent-child relationship, present significant difference to both males and females. For males, self-awareness of relationship with father, or mother and for female, self-awareness of relationship with father significantly related to marriage value. That is, for males who show positive relationship with father and for females who have good relationship with father have preference to marriage and positive relationship.
The significant difference in marriage value for males at the exo-system variables such as awareness and necessity of family policy, and the balanced work-family attitude show as to recognize necessity of family-related policy. As males feel the necessity of family-related policy as they show positive attitudes towards marriage.
Associated changes to the macro-system variables such as traditional familism value, acceptance of family diversity related variables, attitudes toward divorce, and attitudes toward pre-marital sex show significant gender difference in marriage value. Attitudes toward divorce and attitudes toward pre-marital sex to male participants and traditional familism value, acceptance of family diversity related variables, and attitudes towards pre-marital sex to female participants lead to have different marriage values by gender. As men have a conservative view toward divorce and pre-marital sex and women have a strong traditional familism value, lower acceptance in family diversity, and conservative traditional familism value as they present positive attitude towards marriage.
Second, after reviewing a relative influence on associating variables to marriage value, we could have been found some interesting results. The result of regression analysis on socioeconomic status, religion to male and religion and household income to female are work for marriage value. When both men and women practice their religion, and lower household income to women present traditional marriage value.
Affected variables in the microsystem variables are self-concept clarity, experience or inexperience of pre-marital sex to men and self-concept clarity, psychological separation from mother, psychological separation from father and experience or inexperience of pre-marital sex to women work significantly to have marriage value. For men who have strong self-concept clarity, inexperience of pre-marital sex and for women who have strong self-concept clarity, psychologically not separated from mother, psychological separation from father, and inexperienced pre-marital sex show positive attitude towards marriage.
The result of analyzing effectiveness of the mezzo-system variables, relationship with father for women and the relationship to mother for men show significantly influence on the marriage value. When men believe that they have a good relationship with mother and when women believe that they maintain a good relationship with father, both men and women have a preference and positive attitude to marriage.
For analyzing the exo-system variables, men are affected by awareness of family policy, necessity of family policy, balanced work and family attitudes, and women are affected by recognition of necessity for family related policy to have marriage value. When both single men and women are highly aware the necessity of social policy system to support the family, and when men are prefer to have balanced work and family attitude, they show positive attitude to marriage.
The macro-system variables influence on marriage to men and women, both of them show significant differences in traditional familism value, attitudes towards pre-marital sex, and attitudes towards divorce. As they show traditional familism value, higher allowance to divorce, conservative attitude to pre-marital sex, as they are prefer to get married.
Third, when the associated variables were added by order, its relative influence have been examined. For men, when only the socioeconomic status variables are added, it states 4%, when input the micro-system variables, it states 12% which increase 8% of explanation, when input the mezzo-system variables, it states 13%, when input the exo-system variables, it states 33%, when input the macro-system variables, it states 41% increasement for explanation of marriage value. When input the exo-system variables, its' explanation level increase to 20% which implies as one has more social support system to maintain his or her marriage as one maintains traditional aspect to marriage as one has higher possibility to get married.
The most affected variables among the exo-system variables to marriage value is the necessity of family policy which explains 36% statical influence next to attitude towards divorce > family adaptability > balanced work and family attitude > experience in premarital sex > self-concept clarity > religion > attitudes toward pre-marital sex. As one who highly recognizes the necessity of family policy at government, who is allowable to divorce, who shows low adaptability, who wants to have balanced work and family attitude in married life, who is inexperienced premarital sex, who has higher self-concept clarity, who practices religion, who has conservative attitudes to premarital sex, as one has preference and positive attitude to traditional marriage value.
For women's cases, when input the socioeconomic status variables, its explanation level shows 9%. When input the micro-system variables, its explanation level shows 11% which is increased 2%. When input the mezzo-system, the result shows 13% and input the exo-system variables, the result increase to 16%. Finally, when the macro-system variables are added, the explanation level for the marriage value increases to 23%.
Each categorical variable presents lower explanation level to women than men. The socioeconomic status variables are highly effective to women than men but the micro-system variables, the mezzo-system variables, the exo-system variables, and the macro-system variables effectiveness are not relatively higher than men's.
The most effective variable among the socioeconomic status variables in marriage value is religion and in the order of relationship with father, the necessity of family policy, traditional familism value, attitude towards premarital sex, and attitude towards divorce. As the group, who practices religion, who is satisfied with relationship with father, who strongly recognizes necessity of family policy, who has strong traditional familism value, who is allowable to divorce, and who possess conservative premarital sex, as the group shows positive attitudes towards marriage.
Compare to other preceding studies related to analyze associate variables affect to marriage values, this study has tried to approach the family ecological theory to lead different implication and meaning on the same issues. The associate variables with marriage values to single females and males by categorized items, effectiveness of the micro-system variables and the mezzo-system variables are comparatively lower than the exo-system variables and the macro-system variables. The suggested categorized variables explanation by gender in this study, it is much proper to explain marriage value of men's than women's. For men, especially, the exo-system variables and the macro-system variables are highly effective. Therefore, for the single men, norm or value to marriage which have been build for years, recognition of the external system which is supportive to marriage, will work when the single men make decision for marriage rather than current experience of family life or relationship with parents.
The exo-system variables, which has never been studied in the preceeding studies, are highly effective on the marriage values. In the conclusion of this study, as both men and women who are recognize the necessity of supportive policy for family life as they are prefer to get married. On the other hands, it is a result that as single women and men who want to get married as they recognize the importance of having a family policy to support marriage life. Moreover, the participants of this study coexist with tradition and modern. When they make a decision to get married, they do not present any idea, such as an individualism with contemporary value, or preference to traditional value, they will have contradiction or confusion toward marriage. Lack of understanding divorce and marriage are in a raw, for single men and women's perspective, it would be an evidence that they may not cautious about when they decide to get married.
As one highly recognize to possibility get divorced than prolong unhappy marriage as one is selecting a spouse impulsively, or only focused on love which he or she has experienced from dating, or focused on emotional aspect rather than various aspects of a future spouse. Even though there are many factors need to be considered to maintain healthy marriage life, these factors might not be considered in reality. Therefore, when we make a spouse selection, the affected variables to marriage such as the attitude towards divorce, the acceptance of divorce should be consider. It should be remind that the allowable attitudes to divorce may be lead to irresponsible, selfish, and self-satisfied marriage rather than way of managing contemporary marriage.