Assortative Mating in Professional Interests and Their Relationships with Relationships Satisfaction

Dosadašnja istraživanja u ovom području pokazuju da se partneri uparuju prema sličnosti u brojnim karakteristikama. Pri tome, sličnost partnera može imati efekte na njihovo zadovoljstvo vezom. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi javlja li se uparivanje po sličnosti u profesionalnim interesima te kojim mehanizmima dolazi do sličnosti, a također i postoji li efekt uparivanja po sličnosti u profesionalnim interesima na zadovoljstvo vezom. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 215 parova u dobi od 19 do 65 godina koji su u vezi najmanje godinu dana. Korišten je Upitnik za samoprocjenu profesionalnih interesa te tri mjere zadovoljstva vezom – Upitnik percipirane kvalitete braka, Indeks zadovoljstva partnerom i Skala bračne stabilnosti. Rezultati na mjerama zadovoljstva skupljeni su u zajedničku varijablu - ukupno zadovoljstvo vezom. Rezultati istraživanja upućuju na postojanje uparivanja po sličnosti između partnera u profesionalnim interesima. Značajno se više uparuju na temelju inicijalnog uparivanja u odnosu na konvergenciju, točnije, slični su u profesionalnim interesima već na početku veze i s prolaskom vremena ne postaju značajno sličniji. Isto tako, partneri se značajno više uparuju na temelju aktivnog inicijalnog uparivanja u odnosu na socijalnu homogamiju, što znači da aktivno traže slične partnere te da ne dolazi do uparivanja na temelju socijalne pozadine. Sličnost u profesionalnim interesima nema efekte na zadovoljstvo vezom, osim nalaza da su žene zadovoljnije vezom što su im partneri sličniji po profesionalnim interesima.
Previous research in this field shows that partners choose one another on the basis of assortative mating when it comes to numerous characteristics. In doing so, their similarities may have effects on their relationship satisfaction. The aim of this study was to determine whether assortative mating correlated to professional interests and which particular mechanisms led to similarities. It was also examined if there were similarities in professional interests that influence relationship satisfaction. The study involved 215 dating couples aged between 19 and 65 who had been in a relationship for at least a year. The methodology consists of a questionnaire for self-assessment of professional interests and three indicators of relationship satisfaction – Perceived Relationship Quality Components, Satisfaction Index and Relationship Stability Scale. The results are gathered as a single variable, i.e. total relationship satisfaction. The research shows that there is a tendency of assortative mating based on professional interests. Furthermore, they match significantly more when compared to convergence. To be more precise, they are similar on the level of professional interests at the very beginning of a relationship, yet they do not get more similar as time passes. Similarly, they match more based on active initial assortment than on social homogamy, which means that they actively seek similar partners, and do not match on the basis of social background. Similarities in professional interests have no effect on relationship satisfaction, apart from the finding that women tend to be more satisfied with a relationship if their artistic professional interests are expressed similarly to those of their partners.