Perceived Opportunities and Challenges Experienced in Inter-Generational Marriages: Insights from Young Men in Masvingo Urban, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Intergenerational marriages, resulting from age differences between spouses are a global cultural phenomenon that has generated fervent research interest among researchers from multiple disciplines. Women-older marriages however remain understudied unlike the more common same-age or men-older unions. This study sought to qualitatively explore the perceived opportunities and challenges by young men inwomen-older marriages from an Afrocentric perspective.The research adopted a phenomenological research design and a total of five (5) young men in women-older marriages, ranging from 11 – 17 years of age disparity,were selected for in-depth interviews through snowball sampling method. Seven (7) significant others (friends, relatives or neighbours) were also conveniently and purposively selected to solicit their views.Qualitative data was thematically analysed and the findings revealed that young men perceived such marriages as beneficial for secure lifestyles and general marital satisfaction with older-women viewed as mature and emotionally intelligent partners. Challenges faced included the negative societal attitudes, disapproval and ridicule which often lead to poor mental health outcomes. This study recommends that communities be engaged and sensitised to change attitudes towards intergenerational marriages, and that helping professionals do community engagements where they offer psycho-education to build resilience and general coping skills for young men in women-older marriages.