Marital liberalization in relation to life satisfaction

Abstract

Marital liberalization in terms of public support for polygamous, underage or child, and consanguineous or close-kin marriages emerges to be controversial and requires more understanding. A possible understanding is that such liberalization is unconventional and thus impedes integration with society. According to this social integration vision, marital liberalization is incompatible with marriage and religiosity and inimical to life satisfaction. To examine this vision, this study analyzes data obtained from a random-sample survey of 2099 Hong Kong Chinese adults. Results support the vision in that life satisfaction was significantly lower in those favoring marital liberalization, who were significantly lower in religiosity and more likely unmarried. This implies that marital liberalization is incompatible with social integration.