Knot Tying Dream: A WhatsApp Survey of Undergraduate Students’ Future Marriage Partner Selection Criteria in Tanzania
- August 7, 2019
- Posted by: RSIS
- Category: Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue VII, July 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186
Anthony Gikuri1 and Reginald Chetto2
1*Directorate of Co-operative Library and Archives, Moshi Co-operative University (MoCU), Shinyanga, Tanzania
2*Department of Economics and Social Studies, Ardhi University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Abstract— This purpose of this study was to investigate factors that determine the selection of future marriage partners, by drawing an inference from university students. Using an online sample of 397 undergraduate students, more than four out of five respondents said they had initiated a search for a marriage partner. Males were more open than female students to declare their current search status. Furthermore, results revealed that religion and character were the dominant criteria while education qualifications, attractiveness, and family pressure were only considered for selection after having exhausted the most important ones. There is a need to explore the role of religious aspects such as interfaith marriages and how they impact marriage life.
Keywords— Marriage, selection, criteria, WhatsApp, students
I: INTRODUCTION
Choosing who to be the marriage partner has never been taken for granted by any people in any society. It is a serious process that is scrutinized not only by the prospective marriage partners but also by parents of both sides. In Africa, where planned or arranged marriages remain prevalent, the influence of parents on marriage partners’ selection has remained active over the years. However, the on-going social and economic transformations mark a new era of attitudinal change necessitating a willful decision by women and men planning to marry. College students are among the proportion of people experiencing rapid changes in general social life experiences. This is based on the fact that they are in the transition from adolescents to adults determined to achieve the most important milestones in life including securing a good job or entering a serious relationship that may consequently lead to marriage (Casale, 2010; Lauten, et al., 2005).
