MARITAL ADJUSTMENT AND SATISFACTION IN LOVE MARRIAGE AND
ARRANGED MARRIAGE FEMALES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
ABSTRACT:
The present research aim to study the marriage satisfaction and adjustment
level among love and arranged marriage females. To determine the marriage
satisfaction and adjustment, two scales were used. Enrich marital satisfaction
scale (EMS) by Blaine J. Flowers and David H. Olson (1993) and Marital
Adjustment Inventory developed by Singh (1974) . It is administrated on 47
females(27 love marriage and 27 arranged marriage females).There found to
be no significant difference among the marriage satisfaction and adjustment
levels in arranged married and love marriage females.
INTRODUCTION:
Marriage is an ancient practice, although its meaning may have changed
throughout time and space. The word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union
between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word
‘spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife.
According to Vries (2006). Marriage is more than love. Marriage consists of a
life of effort and concern, felicitation and melancholy, illness and health. It
consists of being young and becoming old, dealing with small and big
problems, coping with internal and external hardships and threats. A lot of
days, weeks, months, and years are lived jointly. During this lengthy phase, the
couple lives together in proximity, which unveils all. It soon become clear that
big things can matter very little while small things can become awfully big.
Often over a small matter a great dispute arises up. Marriage can explain how
any person can be awfully small. Mistakes and shortcomings or deficiencies are
visible in marriage. Married couple who live closely together can harm each
other horribly through words expressions and actions (Thompson, 1990).
According to Ramcharan (2008) there are two elements in marriage. One is
bodily (sexual wish etc) and another is divine (love, respect, adore etc.).
Towards the end of life both elements are coming closer and closer and at a
particular point of time the later aspect (love, respect, adore etc.) becomes
evident. Marriage is purely the highest of all human interaction and therefore
must never be entered into carelessly.
Marital adjustment has long been a trendy topic in studies of the family, most
likely because the idea is supposed to be narrowly associated to the stability of
any marriage. Marital adjustment is defined as the condition in which there is
usually a feeling of pleasure and contentment in husband and wife and with
each other. (Hashmi, Khurshid, and Hassan, (2007). Marital adjustment refers
to the state where there is an overall feeling between husband and wife of
happiness and satisfaction with their marriage and with each other. The secret
of healthy marriage does not mean the absence of conflict, but it means the
ways of resolving the conflicts. Marital adjustment is an acceptance between
the couple to the extent where there is presence of companionship between
the two agreements on the need for affection and intimacy and also
accommodation which the couple provides each other (Lock and William,
1959).
Marital satisfaction is the study of one person’s experience in their married
life. By this we meant that satisfaction in marriage can be studied by each
person’s experiences separately. The satisfaction level is not something that
can be assessed by other people but only by the couples themselves. Marital
satisfaction is not a belonging of a relationship. It is a subjective experience
and estimation. Uniquely, marital satisfaction is a relatively stable attitude and
quality which reflects the individual’s overall evaluation of the relationship.
Marital satisfaction depends upon the individual’s needs, potentials, and
desires for the relationship. Individuals are usually satisfied when their needs
are being met, and when the individual’s potentials and desires are being
satisfied. Larson and Holman (1994) have recognized three general areas of
critical indicators of marital quality and strength (Note: Marital quality is
characterized by these creators as "an abstract assessment of a couple's
relationship." Marital solidness is characterized as "the status of the
relationship as unblemished or nonintact [i.e., isolated or divorced])." These
areas are (from slightest prescient of marital quality and strength to most
prescient): foundation and relevant components, singular attributes and
practices, and couple. Marital satisfaction is a psychological express that
mirrors the apparent advantages and expenses of marriage to a specific
individual. The more costs a marriage accomplice exacts on a man, the less
fulfilled one for the most part is with the marriage and with the marriage
accomplice. Additionally, the more noteworthy the apparent advantages are,
the more fulfilled one is with the marriage and with the marriage accomplice.
Arranged marriage refers to two people who do not know a lot about one
another. Holland (2013) argued that in a marriage that is arranged, the two
people might take some more time to know each other after the wedding.
There is no dating involved in arranged marriages since the partners may have
not known each other in the first place (Holland, 2013). Arranged marriages
are the default for individuals in India, and the term “love marriage” arose as a
special term designed to specifically describe the marriages that were not
arranged. The bride and groom rarely meet before an arranged marriage; if
these meetings do occur, it is only for brief conversations. This occurs only
after the parents of both the bride and the groom agree that the pairing will be
beneficial.
Love marriage involves two people who marry only after knowing and loving
each other (Holland, 2013). The partners have ample time to know one
another and explore the good and the bad things concerning them before
entering into a marriage. In most cases, the couple dates for some time before
deciding to settle down. The beauty of love marriages lies in the freedom of
selecting a marriage partner according to the desires of an individual
(Goldman, 2014). The love between partners helps them understand one
another and assists in choosing a marriage partner for a long- term
relationship. The achievement of love marriages is anchored on the maturity
and honesty of the partners (Regan, Lakhanpal, & Anguiano, 2012). However, a
couple that is not mature lacks the ability to make the right decision (Goldman,
2014). The partners may feel physical attraction, but in time, the love may
diminish leading to a break up. The disintegration of marriage can affect one’s
life and career.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Some of the studies which focuses on the marital satisfaction of the couples
are (Bin Dost, Shafi, N., Shaheen, W. A., Khan, M. A. 2011
Manisha,Dinna.,2005, Yuji, K. et al., 2004., Howell., 1999, Ing, 1998, Zuo
1992,Shachar 1991, Yelsama and Athappilly 1988 ). The report of the
investigation led by Quii and Ode11 (1998), on the indicators of marital
adjustment amid the initial two years, uncovers that marital challenges for
some, couples happen from the get-go in marriage. Roughly 21% of marriages
end inside the clench hand two years and 40% end by fourth year. A
multivariate report by Fowers B. J. (1991) dissected the sexual orientation in
marital satisfaction using the multidimensional matrimonial stock ENRICH.
Their examination demonstrated that men are genuinely more content with
their marital life than lady. As research course demonstrate that men secure
progressively unmistakable passionate prosperity benefits by marriage than do
lady. Research has substantiated that marriage disproportionately benefits
men, with companion itemizing increasingly raised measure of marriage
satisfaction and flourishing than their spouses ( Bird and Fremount,1991,
McRae and Brody 1989,Schumm,Webb ). Research has substantiated that
marriage unreasonably benefits men, with life accomplice separating more
raised proportion of marital satisfaction and flourishing than their spouses
(Bird and Fremount, 1991).
McRae and Brody1989,Schumm, Webb.Bollman,1998). While distinctive
examinations have suggested that life partners are increasingly satisfied
(Karneyand Bradbury, 1995; Sternberg and Hojjat,1997).Various examinations
report sexual orientation contrast in various components that are related to
marital satisfaction. For example, Rhoades (1994) found that the most
grounded pointers of marital satisfaction for men were their associations with
their children, trailed by support of gatekeepers and partners as for the
marriage, couple correspondence, and eventually energetic prosperity.
METHODS
• OBJECTIVES:
a) To find out the level of marital adjustment in love marriage females.
b) To find out the level of marital adjustment in arranged marriage
females.
c)To find out the level of marital satisfaction in love married females.
d) To find out the level of marital satisfaction in arranged married
females.
e) To find out the difference between marital adjustment in love
marriage and aaranged marriage females.
f) To find out the difference between marital satisfaction in love
marriage and arranged marriage females.
• HYPOTHESES:
a) There will be a significant difference among marital satisfaction level
among love and arranged marriage females.
b) There will be a significant difference among marital adjustment level
among love and arranged marriage females.
• VARIABLES:
a)Independent variables- Types of marriage(Love marriage & Arranged
marriage).
b)Dependent variables- Marital Adjustment ,Marital Satisfaction.
• SAMPLE:
Total 47 samples were collected (27 love and 20 arranged marriage
females) from Delhi-NCR.Their marital age is 5-10 years and
chronological age is random. Non probability sampling method was used
to decide the final sample for the study.
• TOOLS:
1. Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMS) developed by Blaine J. Fowers
and David H. Olson(1993) is the questionnaire used to collect the
information for marital satisfaction. This questionnaire gives the data for
the 15-item ENRICH (evaluation and nurturing relationship issues,
communication and happiness) of Marital Satisfaction (EMS) Scale. The
EMS has two of the subscales of the ENRICH. The EMS Scale is a 15-item
scale having the Idealistic Distortion and Marital Satisfaction scales. The
responses are given in Likert scale ranging from options
strongly/moderately disagree, neither agree nor disagree,
moderately/strongly disagree. It was evaluated for internal consistency
and test-retest reliability. Cronbach’s alpha revealed an internal
reliability of .86.
2. Marital Adjustment Inventory (MAI) The Marital Adjustment
Inventory developed by Singh (1974) was used to measure the general
marital adjustment of the couples. It has two forms, Form –A for
husbands and Form –B for wives consisting of 10 items in each.
Each question is answered either in ‘yes’ or ‘no’ by choosing one point
out of the ten points on the rating scale which ranges from +10 (most
favourable) to +1(least favourable). The scores of all the ten items are
summed to obtain the score for general marital adjustment. Each
question has a maximum score of 10 and a minimum score of 1. A higher
score indicates better marital adjustment.
• PROCEDURE:
The females were met individually and after getting their informed
consent, the research instruments were given to them and were allowed
to complete this at leisure. The collected data were analysed using the
statistical techniques of ‘t’ test.
• METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION: The respondents were made aware of
the purpose of the study. They were asked to answer the questions
according to what applied best to them, as honestly as possible. The
respondents were assured about the confidentiality of all the data
collected and that it will be used only for research work.
• Statistical Analysis: t- test was used to compare the marital satisfaction
and adjustment level among love and arranged marriage females.
• RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:
The mean and the standard deviation of the scores obtained by the
wives in Love marriage are given below:
Statistics
Age Education Marital age
Valid 16 16 16
N
Missing 0 0 0
Mean 32.6875 6.2500
Std. Deviation 5.16035 1.73205
Minimum 25.00 5.00
Maximum 45.00 10.00
Frequency Table
Age
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
25.00 1 6.3 6.3 6.3
27.00 2 12.5 12.5 18.8
28.00 1 6.3 6.3 25.0
29.00 1 6.3 6.3 31.3
30.00 1 6.3 6.3 37.5
33.00 4 25.0 25.0 62.5
Valid
34.00 2 12.5 12.5 75.0
35.00 1 6.3 6.3 81.3
37.00 1 6.3 6.3 87.5
40.00 1 6.3 6.3 93.8
45.00 1 6.3 6.3 100.0
Total 16 100.0 100.0
Education
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
B.com 1 6.3 6.3 6.3
B.Com 1 6.3 6.3 12.5
Bachelor 1 6.3 6.3 18.8
BTech 1 6.3 6.3 25.0
CA 2 12.5 12.5 37.5
Graduate 1 6.3 6.3 43.8
Valid
Graduate 2 12.5 12.5 56.3
Masters 2 12.5 12.5 68.8
MBA 1 6.3 6.3 75.0
Md Medic 1 6.3 6.3 81.3
Post grad 3 18.8 18.8 100.0
Total 16 100.0 100.0
Marital age
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
5.00 9 56.3 56.3 56.3
Valid 7.00 5 31.3 31.3 87.5
10.00 2 12.5 12.5 100.0
Total 16 100.0 100.0
The mean and the standard deviation of the scores obtained by the wives in
arranged marriage are given below:
Statistics
Age Education Marital age
Valid 20 20 20
N
Missing 0 0 0
Mean 34.3000 7.6000
Std. Deviation 6.05327 1.75919
Minimum 28.00 5.00
Maximum 52.00 10.00
Frequency Table
Age
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
28.00 1 5.0 5.0 5.0
29.00 1 5.0 5.0 10.0
Valid 30.00 3 15.0 15.0 25.0
31.00 1 5.0 5.0 30.0
32.00 2 10.0 10.0 40.0
33.00 5 25.0 25.0 65.0
34.00 1 5.0 5.0 70.0
35.00 1 5.0 5.0 75.0
36.00 2 10.0 10.0 85.0
37.00 1 5.0 5.0 90.0
49.00 1 5.0 5.0 95.0
52.00 1 5.0 5.0 100.0
Total 20 100.0 100.0
Education
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
B. Tech 1 5.0 5.0 5.0
B.com 1 5.0 5.0 10.0
B.Com 1 5.0 5.0 15.0
B.COM (H 1 5.0 5.0 20.0
B.Tech 1 5.0 5.0 25.0
Valid Graduate 2 10.0 10.0 35.0
Graduate 1 5.0 5.0 40.0
M Phil p 1 5.0 5.0 45.0
M.A,B.Ed 1 5.0 5.0 50.0
M.com 1 5.0 5.0 55.0
MA, B.Ed. 1 5.0 5.0 60.0
MBA 1 5.0 5.0 65.0
MSW 1 5.0 5.0 70.0
Pg 1 5.0 5.0 75.0
PhD 1 5.0 5.0 80.0
Post grad 4 20.0 20.0 100.0
Total 20 100.0 100.0
Marital age
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
5.00 3 15.0 15.0 15.0
7.00 11 55.0 55.0 70.0
Valid
10.00 6 30.0 30.0 100.0
Total 20 100.0 100.0
• Comparison of marital adjustment &marital satisfaction in love marriage
and arranged marriage females:
Group Statistics
categories N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
1.00 20 131.25 23.782 5.318
mai
2.00 27 131.44 28.252 5.437
m_SATIS 1.00 20 56.8500 10.44421 2.33540
2.00 27 59.1481 10.86173 2.09034
Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test for Equality of t-test for Equality of
Variances Means
F Sig. t df
Equal variances assumed .271 .605 -.025 45
Mai
Equal variances not
-.026 44.195
assumed
Equal variances assumed .280 .599 -.729 45
m_SATIS
Equal variances not
-.733 41.959
assumed
Independent Samples Test
t-test for Equality of Means
Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference Std. Error
Difference
Equal variances assumed .980 -.194 7.805
Mai
Equal variances not assumed .980 -.194 7.605
Equal variances assumed .470 -2.29815 3.15301
m_SATIS
Equal variances not assumed .467 -2.29815 3.13426
Independent Samples Test
t-test for Equality of Means
95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
Lower Upper
Equal variances assumed -15.915 15.526
Mai
Equal variances not assumed -15.520 15.131
Equal variances assumed -8.64864 4.05234
m_SATIS
Equal variances not assumed -8.62353 4.02724
FINDINGS
No significant difference was found on marital adjustment and marital
satisfaction of love marriage and arranged marriage females. Hence, both
hypotheses are rejected.
CONCLUSION
The aim of current study was to find out the comparison of marital
adjustment and marital satisfaction in love and arranged marriage
females. This research approved that there is no significant relationship
between the two. The present study included a sample of (N= 20) love
marriage females and (N=27) arranged marriage females. The
participants were selected from Delhi NCR region. The marital age of
participants was 5 years .T-test were used for statistical analysis. The
findings of the research may helpful for the policy makers to introduce
some new strategies for the betterment of the society.
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