Demographic criteria for marriage readiness and implications for future marital satisfaction among some university-level emerging adults in Cameroon

Abstract

The decision to marry is often influenced by marriage readiness factors which provide the bases for whom to marry, when to marry, why one must marry, and even future marital behavior. Current research focuses on internally-driven, subjective and psychological marriage readiness indicators among today’s youth with fewer studies on the importance of demographic criteria. This paper presents descriptive data on demographic criteria for marriage readiness and implications for future marital satisfaction among some university-level emerging adults in Cameroon. A sample of 124 emerging adults, aged 18-30 in the University of Buea in Cameroon responded to the Criteria for Marriage Readiness questionnaire whose reliability was 0.848. Demographic criteria defined in the instrument were isolated, analyzed and checked against their relevance and level of importance for marriage readiness and future marital satisfaction. Findings showed that 59.33% of emerging adults agreed that the demographic criteria defined were necessary, even though contested by 40.67% who felt that they were no longer necessary criteria for marriage readiness. Again, a significant 36.7% of participants said the demographic criteria were very important for future marital satisfaction. Meanwhile, 20.9%, 22.8% and 19.6% respectively felt that the demographic criteria defined were quite important, only slightly important and not at all important. Additionally, some important shifts emerged from the findings. For example, while participants considered leaving home as necessary and important for marriage readiness and future marital satisfaction, they did not consider homeownership as a necessary and important criterion for marriage. A common pathway to marriage after leaving home was independently renting an apartment home, especially for men. Again, while it is an appropriate financial behavior and a requirement for men to be financially viable to support their marriage and the success of it in the future, it is not a necessary and important criterion for women who are largely not perceived as financial providers in the marriage relationship. Finally, the cohabitation paradox, suggesting that cohabitation before marriage is not a necessary and important criterion for marriage and future marital success was also found. These findings align with previous ones which found demographic criteria as still necessary and important indicators of marriage readiness and pathways to future marital satisfaction, especially in collectivistic cultures. Other studies also found social and economic changes that rendered some traditional factors no longer important, or far less important than they have always been. It was concluded that while social changes have led to more subjective criteria for marriage readiness among emerging adults today, demographic criteria are still widely held up in some non-Western societies and should not be neglected.

Keywords: Marriage readiness, demographic criteria, marital satisfaction, emerging adults, university-level.

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/14-1-08

Publication date: February 28^th 2024