ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Effective interventions are hindered by a lack of context-specific data on how South African men and
women construct and experience intimate heterosexual relationships. Most studies exploring committed
heterosexual relationships have been conducted with White populations living in developed countries.
As relationship satisfaction is seen as a requirement for a good quality relationship, this study examined
the relationship satisfaction of committed heterosexual couples in one low-income, semi-rural Western
Cape community. A cross-sectional survey approach was used to examine relationship satisfaction
among heterosexual married and unmarried couples. A random sample of 100 couples was drawn from
the community, 93 of which were included in the final analyses, on the criterion that both partners were
interviewed. Trained fieldworkers administered a demographic and relationship questionnaire, as well
as three relationship satisfaction measures namely the Dyadic Satisfaction subscale of the Dyadic
Adjustment Scale, the Index of Marital Satisfaction and the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale.
Analyses were conducted using the statistical programme Statistica 7.0 and both descriptive and
inferential statistics were computed separately for men and women. Inferential statistics included
Spearman correlations, repeated measures ANOVA, and reliability analyses.
Results show that although, on average, neither men nor women were clinically dissatisfied with their
relationships, women reported significantly lower relationship satisfaction than men. Significant
relationships were found between relationship satisfaction and a number of demographic variables,
including the male partner’s educational attainment (with the female partner’s relationship
satisfaction); female partner’s perception of her male partner’s religiosity (with both her own and her
male partner’s relationship satisfaction); own church attendance (with own relationship satisfaction),
female partner’s church attendance (with her male partner’s relationship satisfaction), and joint church
attendance (with both female and male relationship satisfaction); sharing a bedroom at night with
children, sharing a bed at night with children, and sharing a bed at night with partner. Demographic
variables found to have a non-significant relationship with relationship satisfaction included: age;
church affiliation; employment; and couple monthly income.
Although there were several trends that tended towards significance, the only relationship variables
found to be significantly related to relationship satisfaction were previous marriages and, for cohabiting
couples, the age at commencement of cohabitation. Relationship variables found to have a nonsignificant
relationship with relationship satisfaction included: relationship status; relationship
duration; age at marriage for married couples; reason for marriage (for married couples) or for marriage in the future (for unmarried couples); number of significant relationships; and a number of childrenrelated
variables. Results are discussed and recommendations are made for future research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Effektiewe intervensies oor hoe Suid-Afrikaanse mans en vroue intieme heteroseksuele verhoudings
konstrueer en ervaar, word deur 'n tekort aan konteks-spesifieke data verhinder. Die meeste studies wat
toegewyde heteroseksuele verhoudings bestudeer, is in wit populasies in ontwikkelde lande uigevoer.
Aangesien verhoudingsatisfaksie as n voorvereiste vir ‘n goeie kwaliteit verhouding gesien word, het
hierdie studie die verhoudingsatisfaksie van toegewyde, heteroseksuele paartjies in n lae-inkomste,
semi-plattelandse Wes-Kaapse gemeenskap ondersoek. 'n Kruis-snit opname benadering is gebruik om
die verhoudingsatisfaksie onder heteroseksuele getroude en ongetroude paartjies te ondersoek. 'n
Ewekansige steekproef van 100 paartjies is uit die gemeenskap getrek, waarvan 93 in die finale analise
ingesluit is, op grond van die vereiste dat beide maats ondervra is. Opgeleide veldwerkers het n
demografiese- en verhoudingsvraelys toegepas, sowel as drie verhoudingsatisfaksie maatstawe,
naamlik die Dyadic Satisfaction subscale van die Dyadic Adjustment Scale, die Index of Marital
Satisfaction en die Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale. Analises is met die statistiese program Statistica
7.0 uitgevoer en beide beskrywende en inferensiële statistieke is afsonderlik vir beide mans en vroue
uitgewerk. Inferensiële statistieke het Spearman korrelasies, herhaalde-metings-ANOVA, en
betroubaarheidsanalises ingesluit.
Resultate toon dat, ondanks die feit dat nie mans of vroue klinies ontevrede met hul verhoudings was
nie, vroue tog beduidend laer verhoudingsatisfaksie as mans gerapporteer het. Beduidende
verwantskappe tussen verhoudingsatisfaksie en verskeie demografiese veranderlikes is gevind,
insluitend die manlike verhoudingsmaat se vlak van opleiding (met die vroulike verhoudingsmaat se
verhoudingsatisfaksie); vroulike verhoudingsmaat se siening van haar manlike verhoudingsmaat se
godsdienstigheid (met beide haar eie en haar manlike verhoudingsmaat se verhoudingsatisfaksie); eie
kerkbywoning (met eie verhoudingsatisfaksie), vroulike verhoudingsmaat se kerkbywoning (met beide
vroulike en manlike verhoudingsatisfaksie), en gesamentlike kerkbywoning (met beide vroulike en
manlike verhoudingsatisfaksie); deel van ‘n slaapkamer, snags, met kinders, deel van ‘n bed, snags,
met kinders, en deel van ‘n bed, snags, met ‘n verhoudingsmaat. Demografiese veranderlikes wat ‘n
onbeduidende verwantskap met verhoudingsatisfaksie toon, sluit in: ouderdom; kerkaffiliasie;
aanstelling; en gesamentlike maandelikse inkomste.
Ondanks verskeie beduidende tendense, is die enigste verhoudingsveranderlikes wat beduidende
verwantskappe met verhoudingsatisfaksie getoon het vorige huwelike en, vir samewonende paartjies, die ouderdom by aanvang van saamwoning. Verhoudingsveranderlikes wat geen beduidende
verwantskap met verhoudingsatisfaksie getoon het nie, sluit in: verhoudingstatus; verhoudingsduur;
trou-ouderdom vir getroude paartjies; rede vir huwelik of huwelik in die toekoms; hoeveelheid
beduidende verhoudings; en hoeveelheid kind-verwante veranderlikes. Resultate word bespreek en
aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing word gemaak.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/4027 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Engelbrecht, Sarah-Kate |
| Contributors | Lesch, Elmien, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 123 p. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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