Date post: | 16-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | elwin-howard |
View: | 213 times |
Download: | 0 times |
United College GEU 4011ESenior Seminar
Research Presentation
Understanding MarriageYeung Nga Man
Chan Hiu YanLeung Lai ManYuen Lee Lee
Source: Hong Kong SAR Census and Statistics Department
1996 2000 20060
10
20
30
40
50
60
UnmarriedMarriedDivorce
Present situation
Introduction• Late marriage• Cohabitation• negative image towards marriage
THE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ VIEWS ON MARRIAGE IN HONG KONG
Content
1
•Introduction
2
• University student’s views on marriage
3
• Factors affecting their views
4
•Alternative ways to substitute marriage
5
• Suggestion
6
• Conclusion
Methodology1. Survey – questionnaire at
http://www.my3q.com/home2/290/fyp0809cohabitation/62042.phtml- targets: University students in Hong Kong
2. Interview with Professor Ting Kwok Fai, Department of Sociology, CUHK
3. Case study – interview of a student who does not want to get married
4. Documentary analysis
HypothesesUniversity students have lost their confidence in the marriage system and have negative views towards marriage.
Their views towards marriage are affected by various factors.
University students tend to use other alternatives to replace marriage.
1
2
3
University students’ views on marriage- - Students are willing to get married.
1) First Hypothesis
university students have lost their confidence in the marriage system and have a negative view towards marriage
Students’ views on marriage
Are you willing to get married?
marrynot marry
More than 90% of the respondents expressed that they will get married, only 7.3% won’t , which is a relatively small proportion.
Students’ views on marriage
1st hypothesis
failed
3. Students’ views on marriage in relation to their background
a. Genderb. Religionc. Family
backgroundd. Dating
experiencee. Studying year
male femal0
50
100
150
200
250
Gender proportion
non-believers believers0
20406080
100120140160180
Religion
Yes91%
No9%
Are you from a divorced family?
Dated not dated0
50
100
150
200
250 Dating experience
4. University students’ perception of marriage
a. Perceptions of ‘perfect marriage’• Love and commitment • deny reproduction and basic economic
conditionA lifelong
commitment
Overcome difficulties of life at all time
Share responsibilities
Between one man and one
woman
Love and happiness
b. Reasons for getting married • Best times: 27 to 29, 24 to 26.
Formation of families
Request by the partner
Others Fear of lonliness
Maintenance of lifelong
relationship
b. Reasons for getting married Other Factors
• traditional Chinese customs and ideas• family pressure• peer pressure• religious belief • Therefore, university students articulate their
reasons of getting married to internal and personal consideration rather than external pressure.
c. Values of marriage – love and commitment
Value of marriage
Love and commitment
Maintenance of social stability
Responding to parents’ expectations
Extending family tree
Why did the first hypothesis fail?
Can anyone help?
Professor Ting Kwok Fai
5. Reasons for the failure — Changes of society
• Rise of divorce rate ≠collapse of marriage system
• due to many other reasons• Industrialization, rise of women status,
advancement of technology, “liquid” love • pure relationship
5. Reasons for the failure — Media construction
• focus on cohabitations, the alarming divorce rate and people’s failure in maintaining love and commitment in marriage
• Magazines, newspaper • a wrong perception of losing confidence in
marriage
2nd Hypothesis-Factors affecting attitudes towards marriage
Marriage
Family
Personal experience
Friends/ peers
Social atmosphere
Media
Religion 1
3
2
5
4
6
2nd Hypothesis confirmed
Personal
experie
nceFa
mily
Friends/p
eers
Socia
l atm
osphere
Religion
The media
The most influential factor is personal experience.
1. Personal Experience
Note• 1/3 of the respondents have not dated before
Other people they have met in
life
Partners
Dating experience
Family and Friends
(part 2 and 3)
Education
Elderly people
Teacher
Strongly disagree: 1% Disagree: 2%
Neutral: 35%
Agree: 48%
Strongly disagree:14%
Dating experience affects my view on marriage
Strongly disagree: 1% Disagree: 1%Neutral: 9%
Agree: 68%
Strongly agree: 21%
Personal experience affects my view towards marriage
1. Personal experience
2. Friends/peers• Friends are always a source of advice• Emotional support and
understanding especially with less parental support
• less important than parents
Strongly disagree: 2%Disagree:
12%
Neutral: 47%
Agree: 34%
Strongly agree: 5%
Friends have a positive impact on my view towards marriage Strongly agree: 3%
Dis-agree:
7%
Neutral: 34%
Agree: 49%
Strongly agree: 7%
Friends affect my view on marriage
3. Religion• 162 respondents have no religion• Christians, Catholics and Buddhists• All Positive impact
Strongly disagree: 4%Disagree:
7%Neutral: 13%
Agree: 46%
Strongly agree: 30%
Religion affects my view on marriage
strongly disagreedisagreeneutralagreestrongly agree
Strongly disagree: 3% Disagree: 1%Neutral:
12%
Agree: 46%
Strongly agree: 38%
Religion has a positive impact on my view on marriage
•Very positive image
•Hints deeper love between humans and God
•Unbreakable and united
Christianity•Higher
standard•Must be
between any two baptized Catholics and it is a sacrament
Catholic
•Marriage as a personal concern
•Leading a happy married life
Buddhism
4. Family
Strongly disagree
1%Disagree
6%Neutral12%
Agree62%
Strongly
agree19%
Family affects my views on marriage
Strongly disagree
3% Dis-agree10%
Neutral25%
Agree47%
Strongly
agree15%
Parents' relationships and values have positive in-
fluence on my views
4. Family
• Shape views and understandings– Spent most of the times with family members– Learn core value orientations in family– One of parents’ most important tasks
• Affected by family situation– Marital conflicts– Working parents– Remarriages
4. Family
Changes in society and
values
Fundamental family attitudes
and values
Best to get married
Have children
Not to divorce
Not to get involved in extra-marital affairs
More heterogeneous
More receptive towards divorce & remarriage
More receptive towards pre-marital sex & cohabitation
5. Social atmosphere
Strongly disagree
2% Dis-agree14%
Neutral26%Agree
51%
Strongly agree7%
Social atmosphere affects my views on marriage
Strongly disagree
9%
Disagree29%
Neutral43%
Agree17%
Strongly agree3%
Social atmosphere makes me have positive views no
marriage
5. Social atmosphere
• Shared values social norms– Behavior element: specify the behavior preferred– Moral element: guides what is right or wrong
• Changes & norms in HK– Nuclear family (3.9 persons 3 persons)– Marriage norms• Increasing divorce rate• Decreasing marriage rate• Late marriage• Increasing remarriages
6. Media
Strongly disagree
11%
Disagree39%Neutral
35%
Agree15%
The media makes me have positive views on marriage
Strongly disagree
5%
Disagree27%
Neutral32%
Agree33%
Strongly agree2%
The media affects my views on marriage
6. Media
Political info
•Get most of political information from TV affected their views on politics and political institutions
Sexual images
•Sexual images of women support sexual aggression
Violenc
e
•Emulate violent acts in identical fashion to portrayals in films/ TV
•Aggressions are not harmful
•Aggressor is actually a good person and is rarely punished
Marriage
•Easy breaking ups, divorce, extra-marital affairs, family violence &remarriage
•The reasons: lack of love/ boredom
•Males having multiple partners attractive & valuable
•‘Marriage is the tomb’
TV has a major influence on attitudes
6. Media
• Newspapers & magazines also contribute to the problem– Headlines reporting divorces or breaking-ups of
celebrities– Modeling effect• Idols do not behave healthily and positively• Divorced• Single parent• Having a promiscuous life
The 3rd hypothesis
University students tend to use other
alternatives to replace marriage.
Failed
Alternative ways to substitute marriage by university students
Freedom in love and relationship
Remain single Cohabitation0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Their attitude towards marriage
• Is marriage a covenant for life?• • Does marriage have its own
important values?
Values include: experience love fulfill promises point to a new stage in life
Their attitude towards marriage
• Is marriage indispensable in their lives?
• Does marriage have an irreplaceable position in society?
• Can marriage protect love and relationship?
Interview with Winnie Ho
University: CUHKMajor: IBBA
Year: 2Preferred Status: Single
Reasons for not getting married
Being tied down Career
Enjoy being single
Being tied down by marriage
Less pressure &
responsibilities
Liquid love Individualization
Being tied down by marriage
Pressure responsibility
Excitement
Waste time
Troublesome
Conflicts
Unhappy
Love
Romantic
Winnie
Enjoy being single
Depend on husband
Past Education
Career
Social status
Independent
Burden to women
Now
Background correlation
• All non-marriage students have NO RELIGION!!!
Make a guess!
• Make a guess, more male or female are non-marriage students? or the same??
=
Suggestion
Marriage is good!
Healthy develop-ment of children
Improve physical health
Import-ant to family
Social stability
SuggestionMedia education
• Teenagers are target customers
• High spending power• Idols have higher
impact than parents• Make use of high
impact and high penetration power
• Convey positive messages
• Divert attention and focus more on the positive aspect of marriage
• The notable should behave themselves
Family relationship
• Pay more attention• Spend more time with
children• Convey the positive
views of marriage• Act as role models
Government support
• Current system may be inadequate
• Counseling advice before getting married
• Raise the awareness of the people about the importance of marriage and family.
Conclusion
•Seem to view marriage of less importance
•Seem to have little confidence in marriage
•Tend to adapt and accept other alternatives
Hypothesis
•University students not lost their confidence in marriage
•Marriage is an irreplaceable part of lives
•Only a few choose not to get married
•Broken the construction of false images about the collapse of the marriage system
Findings
•Marriage is important
•Our target - university students’ opinions are good indicators of the future trend
•We hope the suggestions can be adopted
•It is essential to maintain love and commitment in marriage
Suggestions
Limitations & Future ResearchSmall-scaled research
• Small amount of respondents are not representative• large-scaled projects should be conducted
Relationship between factor with marriage independent investigation
• Other factors e.g. economic structure and the cultural context can be explored.
Not limited to the values of marriage
• Social relationships between people can be further investigated.
Trends of adapting alternatives like cohabitation, singleness and late marriage exist
• These areas can be better explored • Affect our social development and structure.
Q & A Session
The End
Thank You!