Marriage expectations of today's engaged couples

Abstract

The major aspiration of this study is to delve into the reality of today's engaged couples, find out what they are expecting of marriage and observe whether the Church is addressing these expectations. The method of investigation in this study was mainly through empirical research. However, this is not a national survey but a study which simply shows what are the trends of today's engaged couples. This dissertation is divided into five main parts. Chapter one features the current family debate, the Christian vision of marriage of what contemporary research is saying about marital satisfaction and stability. Chapter two describes the method of investigation, the materials used and the procedure adopted. Chapter three gives the results of the questionnaires filled in by engaged couples. Chapter four is a theologico-pastoral reflection on these findings. Chapter five examines whether the expectations and the reality of today's engaged couples are being addressed in the marital preparation course which are offered locally and offers some suggestions for further pastoral action in this field. The major contribution of this dissertation is that it hopefully brings to light a better picture of who today's engaged couples are together with their expectations. Such findings should help pastoral activity to be more realistically based and to be programmed along more pedagogical terms.