Understanding the personality of single and married women

Implications for women-centred social work practice

Authors

  • Christina Francis PhD Scholar, Dept. of Sociology and Social Work, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
  • Reena Merin Cherian Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Work, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
  • Rony Geo Alex Assistant Professor, Dept. of Social Work, St. Claret College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol34iss1id815

Keywords:

women, single women, married women, personality, NEO-FFI-3, women-centred social work

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In contemporary Indian society, there is now restructuring and reorientation of a women’s role. The importance of studying married and single women has now become more pertinent because of the changing attitudes, increased literacy rate of women, and their involvement in politics and economic development. The present study aimed to understand whether the status of being “married” or “single” influences a woman’s personality.
METHODS: The sample consisted of 52 women from New Delhi, India. The NEO-FFI-3 (McCrae & Costa, 2010) was used to measure the five domains of personality: neuroticism (N); extraversion (E); openness to experience (O); agreeableness (A); and conscientiousness (C).
FINDINGS: The analysis showed no significant differences in personality between single and married women.
CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the status of being married or single was, alone, not enough to differentiate their personalities. However, married women have varying moods and the capability for communicating and interacting with others more effortlessly in comparison to single women. This paves way for the demystification of the notion of marriage and provides avenues for deconstructing the position of marriage as a norm. Social workers should be aware of gender inequalities and bias, including about status of married and single women.

Author Biographies

Christina Francis, PhD Scholar, Dept. of Sociology and Social Work, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Christina Francis is a Psychology Educator, Counsellor and Academic Coordinator at SFS Academy, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. She is also a PhD Scholar in Social Work with the Dept. of Sociology and Social Work at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru. She has previously worked as a Research and Teaching Assistant with the Dept. of Sociology and Social Work; and as a Coordinator, Mentor and Trainer at Centre for Academic and Professional Support (CAPS) at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, India.

Reena Merin Cherian, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Work, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Dr Reena Merin Cherian is an academician and author with an experience of a decade. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Social Work at the Department of Sociology and Social Work, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. She has previously taught at the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi and National Institute of Social Defence, New Delhi and has worked with the Teacher Foundation, Bangalore; The Art Outreach Society, Cochin; Citizen Empowerment Division at St. Mary’s School, New Delhi; Praxis: Institute for Participatory Practices, New Delhi; Partners in Change, New Delhi and United Nations Development Programme.

Rony Geo Alex, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Social Work, St. Claret College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Rony Geo Alex is an Assistant Professor with the Dept. of Social Work at St. Claret College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. He is also a PhD Scholar in Social Work with the Dept. of Sociology and Social Work at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru. He has previously worked as a Research and Teaching Assistant with the Dept. of Sociology and Social Work at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru; and as a Local Problem Solver at Reap Benefit, Bengaluru, India.

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Published

2022-05-17

How to Cite

Francis, C., Cherian, R. M., & Alex, R. G. (2022). Understanding the personality of single and married women: Implications for women-centred social work practice. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 34(1), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol34iss1id815

Issue

Vol. 34 No. 1 (2022)

Section

Original Articles

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