Search Results (49)

Objective: Marital infidelity significantly impacts both the community and the institution of marriage. This study aims to develop a theoretical framework for analyzing marital infidelity through a game-theoretic lens. Methodology/Design/Approach: This research employs a game-theoretic model to predict the decision-making processes of unfaithful partners. Static game models are utilized to explore the interactions between spouses, focusing on identifying Nash equilibria that encapsulate the complexities and uncertainties inherent in infidelity-related decisions, whether through pure or mixed strategies. Results: The analysis reveals strategic dynamics in marital infidelity, where Nash equilibria indicate scenarios where one or both partners may engage in extramarital affairs. A Nash equilibrium is established when both partners perceive the benefits of infidelity as outweighing the costs, leading to diminished trust and communication. The Mixed-Strategy Nash Equilibrium (MSNE) hypothesis suggests that spouses may oscillate between fidelity and infidelity based on probabilistic strategies. Research Implications: This study provides a game-theoretic perspective on marital infidelity, whose findings may be used to inform legal frameworks and social policies addressing the consequences of infidelity, potentially impacting family counseling and legal services. Value/Originality: This research introduces a game-theoretic approach to understanding trust and transgression in marriages, identifying two primary categories of Nash equilibria. It fills a theoretical gap while providing practical insights into marital behavior. Full article

Partner selection is a complex process shaped by structural, social, and personal factors. For refugees and forced migrants, displacement and adaptation add further challenges, with families—even from far away—playing a crucial role in shaping expectations and influencing partnership decisions. This influence can be direct—through arranged marriages or introductions—or indirect, by setting expectations based on ethnicity, religion, or social status. Family endorsement is often crucial in reinforcing ethnic, religious, or language group continuity and community acceptance. This study examines the role of family in partner selection among refugees who arrived in Germany largely during the 2015–2016 period, a group characterized by a high proportion of unmarried men with limited family support. This group is compared to the German resident population, both with and without a migration background. For the descriptive analyses, we draw on two data sources: the PARFORM dataset, collected in 2022–2023, which covers male Syrian and Afghan refugees who arrived between 2014 and 2018; and the ninth wave of the CILS4EU-DE, collected in 2022. The multivariate analyses rely exclusively on the PARFORM dataset and utilize linear probability models with selection correction. We contribute to the literature in three key ways: identifying mechanisms of family influence despite physical distance; introducing a multidimensional framework to measure partnership outcomes based on ethnic, religious, and linguistic endogamy; and providing new insights into the underexplored partnership formation of this refugee cohort. Full article

This study explores the effects of husbands’ post-infidelity behaviors on wives’ forgiveness from a gender perspective. The study employs a longitudinal research design and hermeneutic phenomenology to investigate the wives’ forgiveness potential paths/experiences after their husband’s infidelity. It involves 15 years of in-depth interviews with five wives who had encountered their husbands’ infidelity, with three to six interviews per participant. The findings reveal that husbands’ post-infidelity behaviors are associated with power dynamics in the marriage. At the same time, pressures from culture, gender roles, and social expectations lead wives to adopt “pseudo-forgiveness.” The study proposes two pathways to “genuine forgiveness” for wives. The path includes phases of “Her Rethinking,” leading to the “Balance Marital Relationship and Non-Self-Sacrifice stage.” For low-power-in-relationship wives, the path comprises stages such as “Her Awakening,” “Challenge Women’s Roles in Social Expectations,” and “Take Actions to Enhance Her Power/Ability,” ending in “Balance Marital Roles and Self-Realization.” Both pathways emphasize that forgiveness is a personal decision-making process and that empowerment and enhanced wives’ ability are essential for achieving “genuine forgiveness.” These findings can contribute to marriage and family work and welfare services, helping wives and professionals understand the types and processes of forgiveness and better navigate complex challenges related to marital infidelity. Full article

Background: Facial features are the first basic sign of medical knowledge of children and adults with congenital malformations. Children born with multiple contractures almost always receive the misdiagnosis of arthrogryposis multiplex. Larsen syndrome can easily be diagnosed at birth via the proper interpretations of its characteristic facial features and multiple dislocations. Comprehensive clinical diagnosis can facilitate an orthopedic strategy for early treatment and can enhance the recognition of unreported craniocervical malformation complexes. Material and Methods: Six children (four boys and two girls, with ages ranging from a few months to 7 years old) were referred to our department for diagnosis and treatment. All children received their first misdiagnosis by the pediatricians as manifesting arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. The clinical phenotype was our first decisive tool for diagnosis. All children exhibited the classical phenotype of dish-like facies associated with multiple joint dislocations. Radiological phenotypic characteristics confirmed our clinical diagnosis of Larsen syndrome. Three children out of six showed unpleasant cervical spine deformities. The first child, a 2-year-old, became tetraplegic after minor trauma. One child presented with progressive rigid cervical kyphosis. The third child was a product of a first-relative marriage and was born with congenital tetraplegia. A genotype was carried out for confirmation. Results: Three children underwent open reduction for congenital hip and knee dislocations. One child underwent spinal fusion CO-C7 because of tetraplegia. A 3D-reformatted and reconstruction CT scan of the craniocervical junction showed two forms of unusual dys-segmentation, firstly along C2-3 effectively causing the development of acute-angle cervical kyphosis. Secondly, an infant with congenital tetraplegia showed a serious previously undescribed atlanto–axial malformation complex. Namely, atlanto–axial maldevelopment (dys-segmentation) of (C1/C2) was associated with hypoplasia of the anterior and the posterior rings of the atlas. Genetic tests of these children were compatible with the autosomal dominant type of Larsen syndrome and manifested a heterozygous mutation in FLNB mapped 3p14.3, encoding an actin-binding protein, filamin B. The child with congenital tetraplegia showed no mutations in FLNB, though his clinical and radiological phenotype and his family history of first-relative marriage were totally compatible with the diagnosis of the autosomal recessive type of Larsen syndrome. Conclusions: Our strategy was and still is based on a coherent clinical and radiological diagnosis, which is based on comprehensive clinical and radiological phenotypic characterizations. We implemented a 3D-reformatted CT scan to further understand the craniocervical junction pathology in three children. Strikingly, prenatal onset of lethal maldevelopment (dys-segmentation) of the atlanto–axial spine segments has been diagnosed in an infant with congenital tetraplagia. A less serious cervical spine malformation was detected in two children who presented with progressive acute-angle cervico and cervico-thoracic kyphosis. Our clinical strategy can form the basis for a thorough clinical assessment for infants and children born with multiple malformation complexes and can lead to recognition of novel understandings. Full article

Background: Premarital screening (PMS) is a nationwide program that helps high-risk individuals make decisions to avoid genetic and sexually transmitted diseases from spreading to their spouse or future offspring. This study examined the knowledge and attitudes towards inherited hemoglobinopathies in PMS among the people of Northern Border Region in Saudi Arabia and their relationship to various sociodemographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken in the Northern region of Saudi Arabia from January to March 2024. Data were gathered via questionnaire from 478 Saudi participants aged 18 years and older. The chi-square test was employed to determine the association between categorical variables. Results: All participants in the study were familiar with the PMS program. A significant portion of participants, 79.3%, acknowledged that consanguinity can increase the risk of hereditary blood disorders, while 69.9% believed that if both parents are carriers of the same genetic blood disease, their child may inherit it. Higher education, female gender, and age group (30–40) were found to be the main predictors of knowledge regarding PMS. Most of the participants (98.5%) had a positive attitude regarding the necessity of PMS as a prerequisite for marriage completion. About 82.8% indicated they would not continue with the marriage if the PMS results were incompatible. Conclusions: The study indicates a growing awareness and positive attitude towards premarital screening among the general population, with an increasing number of individuals opting for it. The findings suggest that PMS programs contribute to informed decision making, as evidenced by the rise in participants choosing to forgo marriage due to partner incompatibility. The study recommends the enhancement of health education campaigns by considering demographic factors such as age, education, and marital status. Additionally, it advocates for expanding the scope of PMS to include a wider range of health and genetic disorders to improve its overall efficacy. Full article

In Chile, same-sex couples have faced legal and social barriers that limit their equitable access to the adoption process. Objective: To explore the experiences of three same-sex couples who completed the adoption process in the Chilean public system before implementing the equal marriage law in 2022. Method: A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed, using semi-structured interviews to collect narratives from adoptive families. The information was analyzed using qualitative content analysis, identifying patterns and emerging themes. Results: It was revealed that families identified a market-driven logic within the adoption process, where personal preferences and prejudices influence the adoption decisions of traditional families, from which same-sex couples try to distance themselves. Additionally, significant challenges related to emotional bonding and family adaptation post-adoption were identified. Same-sex couples reported being clearly in a different position compared to traditional families and faced additional difficulties due to a lack of institutional support and insufficient post-adoption follow-up. Discussion and Conclusions: The need for structural reforms in the Chilean adoption system is highlighted to ensure equity and fair treatment for all families, regardless of their composition. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of implementing inclusive policies that recognize and support family diversity, promoting a fairer and more equitable adoption system that ensures the well-being of all children involved. Full article

The divorce rate in China has continued to rise since the 21st century. In order to reduce impulsive divorces, the divorce cooling-off period (DCOP) system was established in the Civil Code of China. The aim of this research is to examine the impact of the DCOP on registered divorces. Data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, National Bureau of Statistics, civil affairs departments, and statistical bureaus of 31 provinces, the 2018 to 2023 editions of the China Statistical Yearbook, and the China Civil Affairs Statistical Yearbook were utilized in this work. The event study analysis reveals that the number of registered divorces decreased significantly in China after the DCOP provision’s enforcement. The ordinary least squares model indicates an average annual decrease of about 2.6 million registered divorces when the DCOP provision takes effect, and the DCOP plays a decisive role in this decrease, which suggests that the DCOP system has achieved its original intention. This research not only highlights the important role of the DCOP in reducing registered divorces but also provides insights on how to improve the DCOP system and promote the stability of marriage. Full article

The judgment of Eve in Genesis 3:16 has traditionally been construed as an etiological curse on the relationship dynamics between genders, garnering scholarly scrutiny on the terms for desire and rule. Many exegetes regard this verse as the biblical rationale for patriarchal cultures throughout history. Despite attempts to ameliorate the notion of husbandly rule to protectorship, guidance, and loving servant-leadership, the power asymmetry between genders hinges on the interpretation of a simple Hebrew preposition b^e, commonly translated as “over” at the end of Genesis 3:16 as “he shall rule over you”. This article re-examines the semantics of the linguistic pairing of the particular ruling verb māšal followed by the preposition b^e through three verses in close proximity: Genesis 1:18, Genesis 3:16, and Genesis 4:7. Given the contextual sensitivity inherent in flexible prepositions, a theocentric reinterpretation of the surrounding narrative opens the possibility for a new redemptive reading by rendering the preposition as “with,” a meaning well within its semantic spectrum. In that case, to a woman hurt by betrayals from the animal, botanical, and human realms of her new existence, God promises help in healing her damaged marriage by intensifying her emotional desire for her husband, then chiding Eve to include him in her future decisions: “and he must rule with you”. Full article

On 30 June 2017, the German Bundestag voted in favor of the introduction of marriage for same-sex couples—a historic moment. Only a few days earlier, the then Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel had released the vote as a decision of conscience and thus dissolved the usual underlying factional compulsion—does this mean that rights for homosexual people are a question of personal conscience and values? Such a localization arouses the interest of religious studies to investigate how the discourse actors from the fields of politics, church and society formulate the decision of conscience as a discursive strategy in the negotiation process of same-sex marriage in Germany argumentatively and which positionings as well as descriptions of others and themselves are derived from this. The starting point is a modernity in which the actors move, understand and articulate themselves. This understanding of modernity is based on the process of a vertical transfer (Gladigow) of sociological theories of religion, among others, whereby narratives of secularization, overcoming religion (as a necessary precondition of modernity) and narratives of an opposition of religious vs. secular or religious vs. homosexual reappear as positions and arguments in the discourse. Using the approach of discursive religious studies (von Stuckrad) in conjunction with sociological discourse analysis (Keller), these processes of positioning, demarcation and negotiation based on the premises of modernity will be analyzed for the period from 2013 to 2017 on the basis of the public debate on religious, political, and social actors in Germany. Full article

Partner selection can be studied from different disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, and economics. However, linguistic perspectives have been neglected. That is why we need an interdisciplinary approach that includes language. The present article investigates how important the vocabulary size of a potential partner is for marital choice. Our theoretical framework is mainly that of biological markets which are still being widely used. This framework assumes that human decisions are made on a rational basis, e.g., about the characteristics that a potential partner brings into a marriage such as economic assets (wealth, education), psychological traits (intelligence, kindness, fairness), or signs that show physical and mental health. Partner selection takes place on a biological market where assets are displayed and are part of the negotiation for the best partner. We argue that vocabulary knowledge is such an asset, which is acquired through lengthy and costly education and distinguishes potential partners (or their parents) who can afford the accumulation of this form of human capital. Markets are not fully transparent and our knowledge about a potential partner might be incomplete or even distorted through false information or even cheating as one can clearly see from advertisements in online dating. However, we cannot pretend, at least not over a longer period of time, to know words that are not at our disposal. This present study is based on data from 83 couples after more than 15 years of marriage. Their vocabulary scores correlate highly and it is possible that this correlation is the result of accommodation through marriage. However, through partialling out statistically the years of marriage we conclude that the vocabulary size of each partner was an important factor already right at the beginning of their relationship. Those with higher human capital in vocabulary attract similar partners, and this holds for males and females as well as vice versa. Our participants are all Turkish–English sequential bilinguals and the question is whether it is vocabulary knowledge in the first or the second language that plays a crucial role in partner selection. Our results show that both languages are important. We argue that it is not knowledge of words at the surface level but that it is knowledge of conceptual concepts underlying both languages that serve as a display of human capital on the biological market of partner selection. Full article

This study investigates Indonesian students’ viewpoints on interfaith marriages in East Nusa Tenggara. A total of 819 students from 52 universities and colleges participated in the poll, and their answers were improved through focus groups and interviews with various student and non-student groups. The findings show that the students are quite open to interfaith relationships and exhibit reasonable reasoning. Interfaith dating is common in academic environments, which encourage acceptance of interfaith unions. In an effort to foster tolerance, students are advocating for legislative changes that would facilitate interfaith marriages. However, there are several challenges on the path to interfaith marriages. The rigid restrictions of family, culture, and religion that dictate marriage decisions regularly clash with the idealism of students. Decisions about marriage are not just driven by personal preferences, but they are heavily influenced by religious, cultural, familial, and customary norms. Religious differences are still thought to be potential triggers for family conflicts, effects on social status, inheritance issues, and challenges in passing along knowledge to future generations. As a result, many students believe that religious conversion is a better option than interfaith marriage. Students’ views on interfaith dating and marriage may seem idealistic in light of the current social, cultural, religious, and political circumstances. Full article

This article is based on exploratory research on how the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals uses the language of trauma in gender-based asylum claims. Gender-based asylum claims include female genital mutilation (FGM), coercive population control (CPC) in the form of forced abortions and forced sterilizations, rape, forced marriage, and domestic violence. The Circuit Courts have reviewed appeals from petitioners with asylum claims since 1946, yet the language of trauma did not appear in the Court’s decisions until 1983. From 1983 to 2023, only 385, 3.85% or less, of the over 10,000 asylum cases before the Circuit Courts used the language of trauma in its legal interpretation of persecution. I have identified 101 gender-based asylum cases that were reviewed by one of the eleven U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that apply the language of trauma in its legal interpretation of persecution for this analysis. The research question guiding this study is: how does the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals use the language of trauma when reviewing gender-based asylum cases? This study found that U.S. Circuit Courts use the language of trauma in four ways: precedent cases, policies and reports, physical trauma, and psychological trauma when reviewing gender-based asylum claims. This study provides the first data set of gender-based asylum claims under review at the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that use the language of trauma. Full article

During the Edwardian period, women’s physical education colleges were graduating significant numbers of gymnastics and games teachers, the demand for whom had increased rapidly following an expansion in the playing of team sports in girls’ schools. Much of the subsequent development of women’s physical activity in the 1920s can be credited to the passion and commitment of these women, who were not only key role models within the school setting but who also coached and organised women’s sport at club, regional, and national level. Given that the education sector operated a ‘marriage bar’ until 1944, the critical juncture in their careers was the decision to marry or not, and several of these women decided to remain single. This, and the strong bonds they often formed with other practitioners, has resulted in a great deal of unsubstantiated speculation about their private lives. Combining evidence from a variety of primary sources, including newspapers, census returns, college records, literature, girls’ annuals, specialist periodicals, photographs, and local and family histories, this paper illuminates some of the biographies and experiences of these women and questions the stereotypical image of the games mistress as an unfulfilled spinster. Full article

The aim of this study is to explore the multidimensional relationships among factors influencing decision-making processes regarding women’s willingness to marry and childbirth in South Korea with recognizing the context of family development in East Asian cultures. To this end, we employed three different analytical approaches, including classification tree modeling, Cox proportional hazard modeling, and permutation feature importance evaluation. Leveraging longitudinal data specific to Korean women, we highlighted the significance of socio-economic factors in family development dynamics. Our findings revealed that financial stability played a crucial role. Unmarried women’s willingness to marry was influenced by their perspectives on economic stability, while households’ consumption capacity and financial capability determined childbirth decisions and timing. We observed a trend of postponed marriage among women in their marriageable age range, particularly those with stable economic situations, reflecting a prevalent trend of skepticism of marriage in Korean society. Additional findings related to values, cultural factors, and personal happiness also suggested the challenges that discourage younger generations from entering into marriage and starting families in South Korea. By offering insights into these dynamics, our study provides practical implications for addressing the obstacles faced, contributing to a better understanding of family development dynamics. Full article

This study investigates why young adults live with their parents in Sweden. As young adults’ living arrangements affect decisions about marriage, education, childbirth, and participation in the workforce, more knowledge for policymakers is crucial to implementing effective policies to support young adults and promote financial independence and well-being. Using a data set from 1998 to 2021 at the municipal level in Sweden, we used a spatial autoregressive panel data model to examine the proportion of young adults living at home and the regional disparities. The study uncovered intraregional variations that illustrate how different municipalities in Sweden exhibit different patterns of young adults living at home. Our findings reveal that economic factors such as unemployment significantly impact this pattern. Housing market dynamics, demographic factors, cultural differences, and location-specific characteristics also play an essential role in explaining this pattern. These findings suggest that the key drivers are the lack of rental housing, high unemployment rates, a high degree of urbanisation, interregional migration, and social capital (such as social cohesion and inclusion). Full article