The most important criteria for selecting life partner by the students of Damascus and Yarmouk Universities and its relation to some demographic variables. (Social field study)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the most important criteria for choosing life partner for the students of Damascus public university and Yarmouk private one. The main purpose is to identify criteria, compare, and rank them in order of importance in light of some demographic variables such as type of university, gender, year of study. The study adopts descriptive approach that describes the phenomenon under study qualitatively as well as quantitatively. The method used is content analysis of university students’ writings to identify key criteria. Data is collected through using questionnaires with items systematically and carefully selected to cater for reliability and adequacy. This method helps the researcher making sure that participants are clear and psychologically relaxed when completing the questionnaires. The study shows that the first and most important criterion in selecting life partner is ethics and manners (72.2% of participants, male and female). 84.9 % of male participants ranked ethics and manners first as opposed to 67.6% of the female ones. The criterion of good overall health came last (15.5 % of the whole sample. 11.3% of male participants versus 17% of the female ones). The study recommends establishing specialized centers for marriage counseling affiliated to universities responsible for providing marriage and family counseling before and after marriage for young people in general and university students in particular. It also suggests organizing awareness raising seminars to deal with cases of choosing a life partner that can be of great benefit to young people who are planning to get married.