Document Type : Research/Original/Regular

Authors

• Mohammad Saleh Tayebnia ¹
• Rahele Kardavani ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Ahl al-Bayt Education Group Ahl al-Bayt, Faculty of Theology and Education,University of Isfahan,Isfahan,Iran

² Researcher of Mehrestan Research Institute (Governance Studies), Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

 Using a qualitative approach and the grounded theory, the present study seeks to analyze the perception of marriage by the university students in Isfahan. The field of the research was the state universities in Isfahan, including Isfahan University, Isfahan University of Technology, and the Medical University of Isfahan. The participants included thirty students of various fields of study at different levels of education. They were selected through purposeful-theoretical sampling, and the required data were derived from semi-structured in-depth interviews. The data analysis was performed by open, axial and selective coding processes and a paradigmatic model as the analytical tool. Also, the content validity of the research was evaluated with validation techniques, by an external expert, and through analytical comparisons. As the research findings indicated, university students’ perception of marriage can be discussed based on the components of a paradigmatic model, including causal conditions (i.e., underlying obstacles, failure phobia, limitation assumptions, mental imaging of marriage), intervening conditions (i.e., available alternatives, marriage patterns), background conditions (i.e., variation of roles, commercialization of marriage), strategies (individual and institutional ones), consequences (psychological, affective, social and economic ones), and the core category of ‘marriage as an unpredictable phenomenon’

Highlights

This study was conducted to examine how marriage was perceived by university students in Isfahan Province. As it emerged from the interviews, marriage is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon which is affected by various factors and affects other phenomena. People’s perception of marriage depends on their background and the context they are in. In modern

Figure 1.  Paradigmatic model of the students’ perception of marriage

times, the lifestyle and the marriage patterns of the past generations are considered inefficient. These findings are in line with the studies by Li (2014), Huang and Lin (2014), and Azimi Hashemi et al. (2014). As far as the university students interviewed in the present study are concerned, they have a tendency for marriage, but, due to their economic conditions, they do not feel secure about the future. This finding is consistent with the results obtained by Khojasteh Mehr et al. (2016), Hosseini et al. (2018), and Pike et al. (2018).

With regard to the structure of the society, sociocultural developments, and their own mental and psychological conditions, university students deem marriage as a liberating necessity but find it beset with various limitations. They, thus, perceive it as a non-dynamic, restrictive and trade-like custom. Some also think of that as an impassable iron wall.

The participants in this study also referred to some solutions and strategies for promoting marriage as the fundament of raising a family. All the strategies revolved around the core proposition of ‘making marriage predictable at psychological, economic, cultural and family levels. Due to the multiple relationships of students’ mentality with intermediate institutions and macro structures as well as the effect of that mentality on the students’ decision for marriage, the measures to promote marriage are faced with serious challenges and complications. Therefore, the core concept extracted from the data in this research is ‘marriage as an unpredictable phenomenon’. The correct understanding of this phenomenon and the mentality of the individuals involved helps to prioritize the adopted promotion strategies and make them more effective.

Keywords

• Marriage
• Students
• Universities of Isfahan
• Grounded theory model

Main Subjects

• marriage