Religious values and thieir role in family cohesion a field study in Riyadh city in Saudi Arabia
Date
2024-06-26
Authors
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Publisher
Mansoura University
Abstract
This study aimed to reveal the impact of religious values on family cohesion and to find out the extent to which stability and balance are achieved at the level of structure and structure, whether it is marital or family
This study is a descriptive study that relied on the social survey method by means of the sample. The study also relied on the interview method (questionnaire) as a main tool for collecting the data required by the study. The total number of completed interview forms valid for analysis was (532) questionnaire forms.
The study reached several results, the most important of which are :
1 - Most of the sample focused on the value of religiosity in choosing each other
2 -They agreed on the necessity of religious equivalence to ensure the 2 establishment of a cohesive family, and this is a positive indicator
3 - Most of sample practice religious duties, which means the presence of the value of faith in its applied side
4 - A high level of cooperation, respect, understanding and agreement between spouses, in addition to their assistance to each other during illness or crisis
Study assignments
Description
Religious values and their role in family cohesion A Field study in Riyadh city in Saudi Arabia Thesis Submitted for the requirement for the degree of PhD in sociology By/Bajed Raffa Z. Aladhyani
This study aimed to identify religious values and their role in family cohesion in Saudi society. The study’s methodology was descriptive and relied on a questionnaire form, which was applied to (532) Saudi families in the city of Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The study reached many results; the most important included the following:
This study sheds light on identifying religious values and their role in the family cohesion by identifying the opinions and trends of parents (fathers and mothers) in raising their children on religious values. Therefore, the researcher chose a group of variables related to the characteristics of parents and a Saudi family, and he tested the extent to which these variables have an impact on raising children on religious values. As for the variables of the independent study, they are:
1- Age of parents.
2- Educational level of parents.
3- The economic level of the family.
4- The original home country of the parents.
6- The presence of domestic workers in the Saudi family.
The dependent variable in this study is the attitude toward religious values, and it was measured through the following dimensions:
1- The value of time.
2- The value of planning.
3- The value of achievement.
4- The value of productivity.
5- The value of creativity.
6- The value of taking responsibility and self-reliance.
7- The value of respecting manual labor.
8- The value of respecting regulations and instructions.
9- The value consumption.
10- The value of educational and professional ambition.
The most important results of the study:
Regarding whether Saudi families face difficulties in raising children depending on religious values, the study explained that 45% of the families surveyed stated that the family faces difficulties. As for the most important difficulties, 76% of the families surveyed stated that the negative influence of the media is one of the most important difficulties facing Saudi families towards raising their children on religious values. In addition, they believe that the influence of external media is greater than the influence of internal media represented by live broadcast channels, and the negative effects that may result from unconscious exposure to those channels, including children’s representation of values, concepts, and behaviors that may conflict with religious values and the culture of society. Therefore, the current media including live broadcast channels often hinders the role of the family in raising its children on religious values.
In second place comes 40%, saying that the rapid changes taking place in the Kingdom are among the difficulties facing the Saudi family in raising their children on religious values.
It can be explained by the fact that the family is part of society, so any change that occurs in society in turn affects the family and the functions it performs. The rapid changes that society is witnessing have led to a state of imbalance in the life of society because of the inability to consciously adapt to those changes, which results in not the ability of the family to raise its children on religious values.
It is clear from the aforementioned results that the difficulties question revealed the actual challenges that hinder the role of the family with regard to raising children on religious values.
Coming in third place, 30.6% is the value of children’s dissatisfaction with the instructions of their parents, one of the difficulties facing the families surveyed in raising their children on religious values. So, it can be explained that the relationship between children and parents may be dominated by a kind of tension and disharmony because of the difference in values between generations, and because society is witnessing many successive variables that affect the system of values and trends, they may lead indirectly to the existence of a dialectical relationship between children and parents.
In fourth place among the difficulties is the reliance of the surveyed families on domestic workers at a rate of 28%. This can be explained by the fact that reliance on domestic workers may lead to the children becoming accustomed to that labor in meeting their own requests and taking care of their affairs. This method may develop in the children dependency and reliance on others. It thus hinders their acquisition of religious values.
The phenomenon of children accustoming themselves to dependency and reliance on others comes in fifth place with 28% of the families surveyed, one of the difficulties facing the families studied in raising their children on religious values. This can be explained by the fact that children’s habituation to dependency and reliance on others may be a result of the families under study relying on domestic workers, or it may be It expresses the negligence of parents in assigning their children to perform certain tasks, as they may not realize the importance of raising children from a young age to bear responsibility, self-reliance, and other religious values.
Regarding the most important roles of the Saudi family in developing society, 31% of parents believe that the most important role of the family is developing the abilities and talents of their children.
It comes in second place with 23% of the families surveyed who believe that the most important role of the family in community development is to encourage children to excel and succeed.
In third place, 20% of the families surveyed believe that the role of the Saudi family in developing society is to encourage children to innovate and create, and to accustom children to taking responsibility and self-reliance, with a percentage of 15% in fourth place. While in fifth place, the families surveyed consider encouraging children to choose professions at a rate of 6%, and finally raising children to rationalize consumption and saving at a rate of 5%.
These results indicate that encouraging children to develop their children’s abilities is one of the important roles of the family in developing society. This result demonstrates the extent of awareness and interest of the fathers and mothers surveyed.
In answering the question about the extent of the role of religious values in family cohesion, 83.3% of the fathers and mothers surveyed stated that the role of religious values in family cohesion is very large. This result can be explained by the fact that there is awareness, because of education, knowledge and openness, of the importance of the role of the family in the development of society, which may not be the case. This answer reflects the reality of the actual role of the Saudi family in developing society, although it is possible that this answer is just a theoretical perception of what the role of the family should be in society. 10.3% of the respondents believe that the role of religious values in family cohesion is great, while 5.6% among the respondents.
Keywords
Religious values