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Length of marriage and its effect on spousal concordance in kuwait
Author(s) -
AlKandari Yagoub,
Crews Douglas E.,
Poirier Frank E.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.1137
Subject(s) - concordance , demography , waist , sociocultural evolution , body mass index , blood pressure , circumference , westernization , anthropometry , psychology , medicine , gerontology , endocrinology , sociology , geometry , mathematics , anthropology , modernization theory , economic growth , economics
It was hypothesized that marriage duration affects physical and cultural homogamy and spousal concordance in Kuwaiti marriages. Westernization increased spousal correlations due to fewer arranged marriages and increased individual spousal choice. Spousal similarities for selected physical and cultural traits were also examined for couples married 15 years or less, 16 to 30 years, and 31 years and more. Consanguineous couples belong to the al‐Kandari, one of the largest and most important kindreds in Kuwait, who traditionally married kin and continue to do so. Six physical measurements and blood pressure were taken along with a sociocultural questionnaire to examine cultural preferences. In all, 242 couples (484 people) participated; 62 couples were in non‐consanguineous unions. It was hypotheised that in shorter‐duration unions spouses would be more alike for physical and cultural traits. For physical traits, results for stature, weight, the body mass index, and hip circumference are congruent with the hypothesis, whereas results for the triceps and subscapular skinfolds, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure are not. Overall, for some traits spouses are more alike than in previous generations, and specific aspects of similarity among long‐term spouses reflect historical and cultural phenomena. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 14:1–8, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.