Religiosity refers to the belief in a higher power or powers that control human life, and it influences individuals' moral values, attitudes, behaviors, and decision making processes. Marriage is a social institution characterized by exclusive commitment between partners, whereby they form a union based on love and mutual respect, among other things. Sexual satisfaction in marriage involves fulfilling one's physical, emotional, and psychological needs through sexual activity within the marital relationship. Therefore, religiosity can influence marital sex due to cultural norms regarding premarital, extramarital, same-sex, and unconventional sex. Culture comprises all human behavioral patterns that shape societies' ways of living, which may differ across time and place.
Marital sex involves various aspects such as frequency, duration, variety, and quality. Religiosity plays an integral role in regulating marital sex since it guides people's thoughts, feelings, and actions towards intimacy.
Christians believe that God created the world and humans, who must obey His commandments to maintain harmony in their lives. They abstain from adultery, fornication, masturbation, pornography, and homosexuality, among others, and consider them sins. This implies that couples should only engage in marital sex for reproduction and not recreation or pleasure. Thus, religious couples may experience less marital sex than nonreligious ones, which negatively impacts their wellbeing.
Culture also affects marital sex. Some religions allow polygamy, polyandry, and same-sex relations but discourage premarital and extramarital sex, while others prohibit them. Hence, married individuals from such cultures engage in marital sex more frequently than those with different beliefs. Further, some cultures permit women to initiate sex while others do not, causing differences in sexual satisfaction between men and women.
Indian culture permits husbands to have multiple wives, whereas Judaism does not.
Western and Eastern cultures regard sex differently, resulting in varying sexual behaviors and practices.
Religiosity has a complex relationship with sexual satisfaction in marriage, influenced by cultural norms. In Islam, religion positively influences marital sex since it promotes sexual intercourse within marriage.
Muslims view uncovered skin as indecent; hence, they wear modest clothing and avoid public displays of affection. This limits their sexual activities, which explains why some individuals seek partners outside the marriage. Likewise, Hindus believe that birth control is wrong, so they produce many children and consequently face sexual dysfunction. Such cultural practices hinder sexual fulfillment among married persons, affecting their marriages.
Religiosity and culture mediate the relationship between marital sex and sexual satisfaction. Religious couples may have less frequent or satisfying sex because they refrain from certain acts deemed sinful, while nonreligious ones enjoy intimacy without constraints. Cultural factors like polygamy, polyandry, homosexuality, and public display of affection also impact marital sex, influencing its frequency, duration, variety, and quality. Thus, to improve marital sex and overall happiness, couples should respect each other's beliefs and values while seeking professional counseling if necessary.
What is the relationship between religiosity and sexual satisfaction in marriage, and how does culture mediate this relationship?
Religiosity has been linked to various outcomes such as increased marital satisfaction (e. g. , Acevedo & Arriaga, 2014; Wong & Kwon, 2006), but the role of religion in sexual satisfaction remains unclear (e. g. , Dunn et al. , 2017).