Does Communication Matter More in Arranged Marriages? A Comparative Study of Sexual Satisfaction Among Women in Arranged and Romantic Marriages

Objectives This study aimed to examine the association between marital communication and sexual satisfaction among married women and to determine whether this association differs according to marriage type (arranged vs. romantic).Method This cross-sectional study included 770 married women (350 in arranged marriages and 420 in romantic marriages). Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, a researcher-developed marital communication scale, and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Sexual satisfaction, assessed by the FSFI satisfaction subscale, was the primary outcome, while the remaining FSFI domains were evaluated as secondary outcomes. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and hierarchical multiple regression-based moderation analyses were performed, adjusting for age, marital duration, having children, participants’ education level, spouse’s education level, and place of residence.Results Higher marital communication was significantly associated with greater sexual satisfaction (B = 0.62, β = 0.46, p<.001). Marriage type significantly moderated this association (B = 0.24, β = 0.15, p=.002), indicating a stronger association between communication and sexual satisfaction among women in arranged marriages than in romantic marriages. Similar moderation effects were observed for the arousal and orgasm domains, whereas no significant moderation was found for desire, lubrication, or pain. The final model explained 39% of the variance in sexual satisfaction (R2 = 0.39).Conclusions Marital communication was significantly associated with women’s sexual satisfaction, and the strength of this association varied according to the socio-relational context of marriage. The stronger association observed in arranged marriages highlights the importance of communication-focused interventions tailored to different marital contexts to promote women’s sexual well-being. In particular, the association between marital communication and sexual satisfaction was stronger among women in arranged marriages than among those in romantic marriages.