WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Biruk Gebretsadik Haile*

ABSTRACT

Marital commitment is essential for the development and stability of marriage and family systems. This study examined gender differences in marital expectations among premarital couples across five areas. This include, love and affection, sex and intimacy, emotional security, spirituality and religion, and conflict and happiness. The main objective of this study was to establish the Gender Differences of marital expectations among the premarital couples from selected churches in Nairobi, Kenya. Unrealistic marital expectations were also determined by use of frequency across various sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, year of education and dating period. Purposive sampling method was used to select participants of the study (n=118) who were screened for marital expectations at baseline. Data was collected using Marital Expectations Questionnaire (MEQ) which was a self-administered questionnaire. The findings of the study showed that participants hold high (unrealistic) expectations, especially regarding love and affection (74.6%), emotional security (75.4%), spirituality and religion (84.7%), and conflict and happiness (77.1%). However, expectations in sex and intimacy are more realistic at 66.1%. Further, males exhibited higher expectations in sex, intimacy, and conflict resolution, while females emphasized love, emotional security, and spirituality. These discrepancies highlight the need for addressing gender- specific expectations in premarital counseling. The study recommends implementing strategies such as open communication, participation in workshops on relational expectations, and the provision of gender-sensitive relationship education to better prepare couples for marriage. The study recommends implementing strategies such as open communication, participation in workshops on relational expectations, and the provision of gender-sensitive relationship education to better prepare couples for marriage.