Comparing the Attitudes of Middle and High School Daters in Morocco: A Cross Sectional Study

The present paper aimed at revealing Moroccan teenagers attitudes about dating in Morocco via a cross-sectional study conducted among a population of 100 Moroccan male and female secondary school students in Fez city. Anonymous self-administered questionnaires were of a great utility considering the sensitive nature of the topic. The percentage of middle school students who participated in the study was 47% compared to 53% of high schoolers. Most Middle school participants (96%) were 15 years old. About 71,4% of their fathers had a university level, and 75% of mothers had a secondary school level. Most parents (66.7%) were separated (the father was away), and 39.8% lived with members of family other than their parents (with aunts or uncles). Concerning high schoolers, most participants (52.9%) were 17 years old. As many as 80% of fathers and 73.8% of mothers were illiterate. Regarding parents' marital status, 66.7% were widowed. A large number (63.3%) of students lived with both parents. The findings revealed that more females than males from middle school (66.7% vs. 47.1%) considered that their religiosity was a strong obstacle to dating. About 64.7% of males agreed relatively that girls who date are not respectful (p=10 -2 ). Most males from both categories agreed that females who date a lot are unmarriageable (70 % from high school and 52.9% from middle school) (p=10 -2 ). When asked if dating works best when girls please boys, a large number of male middle and high schoolers adopted favourable attitudes (58.8% and 56.7% respectively). Overall, participants' attitudes can be predictors of violence among male middle and high schoolers.