Husband–Wife Religious Denomination Homogamy and Marital Satisfaction Over Time: The Moderating Role of Religious Intensity

• Published date: 01 December 2021
• Author: Woosang Hwang,Ayse Duygu Cakirsoy‐Aslan,Maria T. Brown,Merril Silverstein
• Date: 01 December 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12521

W H, A D C-A, M T. B,  M S

Syracuse University

Husband–Wife Religious Denomination Homogamy

and Marital Satisfaction Over Time: The Moderating

Role of Religious Intensity

Objective: This study examines the extent

to which homogamy and heterogamy in

husband–wife religious denomination are

associated with initial levels of marital satis-

faction and slopes of marital satisfaction over

17 yearsexaminingwhetherthoseassocia-

tions are moderated by husbands’ and wives’

religious intensity.

Background: Longitudinal studies on religion

and marital outcomes that incorporate a dyadic

component are relatively rare, and few stud-

ies have examined couple-level religiosity with

respect to long-term marital outcomes.

Method: On the basis of six waves of the Longi-

tudinal Study of Generations data between 1988

and 2005, we selected 173 married couples in

the baby boom generation and analyzed their

musing dyadic growth curve modeling.

Results: Husbands’ and wives’ religious

denomination homogamy was signicantly

associated with initial levels and slopes of both

husbands’ and wives’ marital satisfaction. In

addition, husbands with highly religious wives

of the same denomination exhibited greater

initial levels of marital satisfaction than those

who had wives of weaker religious intensity with

a different denomination.

Aging Studies Institute, Syracuse University, 310A Lyman

Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244 (hwoosang@syr.edu).

Key Words: Longitudinal Study of Generations, marital sat-

isfaction, religious denomination, religious intensity.

Conclusion: In this research, denominational

similarity between spouses was not only bene-

cial to marital satisfaction but was also paired

with the degree of religious intensity.

Implication: Familyresearchers and practition-

ers are encouraged to acknowledge the charac-

teristics of couples’ religious contexts and their

inuences on marital outcomes over the family

life course. Because the LSOG couples repre-

sent mostly White and underrepresentedfamilies

from other ethnicities, thereshouldbe caution in

generalizing these ndings to the general popu-

lation.

Religion is an important factor that shapes

family life, including the quality and stability of

marital relationships (Mahoney, 2010; Mahoney

et al., 2001). Positive relationships between

various dimensions of religiosity and marriage

have long been reported in the literature (Fin-

cham & Beach, 2010; Mahoney,2010; Mahoney

et al., 2001). For instance, religious homogamy

between spouses has been linked to greater mar-

ital satisfaction (Olson et al., 2015; Schramm

et al., 2012) and marital stability (Heaton &

Pratt, 1990; Lehrer & Chiswick, 1993), as well

as lower risk of divorce (Call & Heaton, 1997).

It is important to note here that religious

homogamy has been dened and measured

in various ways in the literature, such as

spousal agreement on religious issues (Olson

1498Family Relations 70 (December 2021): 1498–1513

DOI:10.1111/fare.12521

Religious Homogamy and Marital Satisfaction1499

et al., 2016) or similarity in the level of religios-

ity between spouses (Schramm et al., 2012). It

was dened in the current study as denomination

similarity between spouses. Religious het-

erogamy, on the other hand, has been associated

with marital conict (Curtis & Ellison, 2002)

and higher risk of marital dissolution (Vaaler

et al., 2009). Although short-term marital out-

comes of religious homogamy and heterogamy

have been extensively studied, there remains a

need for investigations into long-term outcomes.

In our study, we focused on the inuence of

religious denomination homogamy on marital

satisfaction over the course of 17years and

examined the moderating roles of religious

intensity on the relationship between denom-

ination homogamy and marital satisfaction of

husbands and wives during that time.

R  L

Conceptual Framework

A theoretical framework offered by Mahoney

et al. (2001) suggests that religion could inu-

ence marriage and marital functioning through

psychosocial functions of religion. In addition

to sharing common values, a substantive aspect

of most religions is the sanctity of marriage and

the view of the marital union as a lifetime com-

mitment (Mahoney et al., 1999, 2003). In addi-

tion, external approval of marriage on religious

grounds can serve as a protective barrier against

marital dissolution (Mahoney et al., 2001). Other

psychosocial benets may derive from member-

ship in religious groups and participation in joint

religious activities that enable couples to engage

in their communities and share more meaning-

ful time together, as well as provide pathways to

strengthen their commitment to their marriage.

Social support that religious communities pro-

vide may lead to reluctance in seeking marital

dissolution out of fear of social rejection and

may promote strategies to resolve marital strug-

gles (Mahoney et al., 2001).

Another psychosocial explanation for the

importance of religion to marriages highlights

religion as a shared cultural resource in reli-

giously homogeneous couples (Kalmjin, 1998).

Similarity in religiosity or religious culture is

associated with couples having similar world-

views, beliefs, and values, as well as shared

knowledge, opinions, and expectations (Heaton

& Pratt, 1990; Schramm et al., 2012). These

sources of communality might promote a cou-

ple’s positive interactions and lead to joint

activities that strengthen the relationship. Like-

wise, couples with similar religious views might

be more likely to agree on important familial

matters when making household decisions

(Curtis & Ellison, 2002).

Religious homogamy has been shown to

be associated with positive marital outcomes

(Mahoney et al., 2001), such as greater marital

stability (e.g., Call & Heaton, 1997; Lehrer &

Chiswick, 1993; Vaaleret al., 2009), higher mar-

ital satisfaction (e.g., Olson et al., 2016), better

marital adjustment (Schramm et al., 2012),

and better marital quality (e.g., Lichter & Car-

malt, 2009; Myers, 2006). Conversely, differing

levels of religiosity may have a negative impact

on couples’ marital relationships (Glenn, 1982),

including experiences of greater marital conict

(Curtis & Ellison, 2002) and higher risk of

marital dissolution (Vaaler et al., 2009).

In a sample of 193 predominantly White,

middle-class married dyads, selected on the

basis of their reported religious denomination

and marital satisfaction as part of a longitu-

dinal study sample spanning 34years, Hwang

et al. (2019) examined the role of marital

satisfaction in mediating and moderating the

association between marital religious discor-

dance and risk of divorce. This study found that

religious denominational heterogamy between

couples was a stronger predictor of marital

dissolution than heterogamy in religious atten-

dance and religious intensity. Husbands and

wives with different denominations may be less

prone to share membership in religious groups

and participate in joint religious activities. In

addition, different denominational subcultures

may instill different core beliefs and religious

identities between couples (Gay et al., 1996).

Therefore, in this analysis we primarily focus

on dissimilarity in religious denomination in

married couples as risk factor for relational

dissatisfaction and instability.

Religion and Marriage

Investigators linking religiosity to marital out-

comes have tended to focus on individual-level

religiosity variables, which examine an indi-

vidual’s religiosity in relation to his and her

reports of various aspects of marriage (e.g.,

Booth et al., 1995; Sullivan, 2001). Investi-

gators also have examined marital outcomes