MARRIAGE READINESS AND VALUE ORIENTATIONS AMONG UZBEK YOUTH: GENDER DIFFERENCES IN ROLE EXPECTATIONS AND MORAL PREPAREDNESS

Abstract

This manuscript is a structured draft based on an empirical study of marriage readiness and value orientations among youth in Uzbekistan. The study used a cross-sectional online survey. Value orientations were assessed with the Axiological Orientation of Personality questionnaire, and marriage readiness was operationalized through moral readiness to marriage and role expectations/claims in marital domains. Nonparametric statistics (Spearman correlations, Mann–Whitney U test, and one-sample Wilcoxon test) were applied due to non-normality of distributions. The findings indicate that, in this sample, values of public life and leisure were expressed more strongly than family values, while material well-being and individuality were among the most pronounced personal values. Men demonstrated higher moral readiness to marriage than women, and gender differences were observed across most role-expectation domains. Value priorities were linked to marital role claims: higher material well-being was associated with lower claims in the emotional-psychotherapeutic domain, and higher public-life value was associated with lower household and parental claims. The draft discusses cultural and developmental interpretations and outlines implications for educational and counseling programs that support informed marital decision-making.