Religious Homogamy and Marital Satisfaction in South Korea: Exploring Variations across Religious Groups

Abstract

This study examines whether and how the association between religious homogamy (i.e., whether spouses have the same religious affiliation) and marital satisfaction varies across religious affiliations by utilizing a unique context that four large religious groups (i.e., Buddhists, Protestants, Catholics, and religious nones) coexist in South Korea. Our results show that while religious homogamy has a positive relationship with marital satisfaction among Protestants and Catholics, there is no such association among Buddhists. This study also reveals that higher levels of religious attendance intensify the positive relationship between religious homogamy and marital satisfaction only among Protestants. Moreover, religious heterogamy is positively associated with marital relationships among religious nones compared to religious homogamy. However, this pattern held only for religious nones who married Buddhists or Catholics. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on religion and marriage from cross‐cultural perspectives.

Understanding the Interplay of Religion, Social Relationships, and Depressive Symptoms in Later Life: An Analysis of Dynamics in Individual and Dyadic Contexts

“…On the other hand, our couple-level findings indicated that older Korean couples with shared religious backgrounds showed higher levels of marital satisfaction at the couple level than those who did not, and it was significantly associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms at the individual level. This is consistent with previous findings indicating that couples with the same attitudes or values tend to experience greater satisfaction with their marital lives than those who do not (Lee & Lee, 2023; Schafer & Kwon, 2019). Our findings also support the ‘ similarity effect ’ (Byrne et al, 1971), which emphasizes the tendency to view others more positively when they share similar attributes, values, or beliefs.…”

Levels of Marital Satisfaction of Protestant Clergy and Their Spouses in Dagoretti South Sub-County Nairobi, Kenya

“…By taking advantage of the unique context in which four major religious groups (Buddhists, Protestants, Catholics, and none religious) coexist in South Korea, Lee and Lee (2023) investigated whether and how the relationship between religious homogamy (i.e., whether spouses have the same religious affiliation) and marital satisfaction varies across religious affiliations. The examined studies found a favorable correlation between religious homogamy and marital happiness among Protestants and Catholics, but no such correlation among Buddhists.…”