Most of young adults prefer their relationships to result in marriage. However, marital quality and satisfaction depend on various factors that appear at the time of marriage and determine its future. For the best marriage outcomes, a newly engaged couple should consider these factors and how to deal with them. In this paper, the factors that appear at the time of marriage and later influence the couple’s marital life will be discussed.
The couple should consider several key factors at the time of marriage. The first is the age; the younger age generally leads to the lowering of the odds the marriage will last (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2018). The second factor is homogamy, defined as the “similarity of values and interests that couple shares” (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2016, p. 369). It includes goals, attitudes, social status, habits and behaviors, and ethnic background of spouses, either coinciding or diverse. The third essential factor is the feeling that relationships are equal. To ensure happy living together, each partner should contribute to the relationship something that another cannot provide. Such factors as financial security, pregnancy at the time of marriage, and religion also influence the quality of marriage.
Some advice could be provided to ensure a realistic view of the marriage of a newly engaged couple. A crucial matter that should be understood by young life partners is related to the fact that emotional state at the beginning of married life would most probably change after some time. As per statistics, “marital satisfaction is highest at the beginning, falls until the children begin leaving home, and stabilizes or continues to decline in later life” (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2018, p. 370). Thus, instead of emotional affect, married life rather implies the feeling of reliance and trust in each other, which may ultimately be called true love. These qualities are not easily attained but require inner work, adjustment, the ability to compromise, and respect for another person’s emotions and views.
In summary, the quality of marriage is determined by several factors. Among them are the age of the spouses, similarity of their values and interests, and the feeling of equal relationships. A newly engaged couple needs to have a realistic view of marriage. It means that both partners should be ready for inner work and the requirement to compromise, adjust, and accept another person with compassion and love.
Reference
Kail, R. V., & Cavanaugh, J. C. (2018). Human development: A life-span view. Cengage Learning,