Examining gender role beliefs and marital satisfaction of Ghanaian immigrant couples in the U.S.A.

The experiences of African immigrants to the United States of America are sparsely represented in the literature. Recent research has focused more on Latinos and Asian ethnic minority populations than on African immigrants. Further, given the paucity of research on this population, it is no surprise the limited literature has ignored important factors such as family relationships and marital issues. Therefore, exploring the relationship between gender role beliefs and marital satisfaction among Ghanaian immigrant couples is necessary to help inform and contribute to the literature in Couple and Family Therapy research particularly for a subgroup living in the United States who has been virtually ignored. Acculturation theory was introduced as a framework to facilitate understanding of the relationship between gender role beliefs of Ghanaian immigrant couples and their level of marital satisfaction in the American culture. This study examined these variables with a correlation predictive design using a cross-sectional survey technique of 77 Ghanaian immigrant adult couples currently residing in the tri-state of area of New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. It was hypothesized that Ghanaian immigrant couples who have more congruent gender role beliefs would have higher levels of marital satisfaction. The results indicated to the contrary. Husbands were liberal in their gender role beliefs compared to wives; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Future studies could explore covariates such as ethnic background, level of education, and counseling services. These were good correlates of gender role beliefs and marital satisfaction in the study.