Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2023

Date of Submission

2023

Advisor

Dr. Saima Bint-e-Saif, Assistant Professor SSLA, Department of Social Sciences

Committee

Dr. Habiba Zaheer, Visiting Faculty, Department of Social Sciences

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Abstract

This thesis aims to investigate the factors that contribute to a successful marriage and how these factors have evolved over time. The research questions revolve around understanding the common elements that constitute a "successful marriage" according to married couples, and whether these factors differ based on the duration of the marriage. The underlying premise is that the definition of a "successful marriage" is subjective, lacking a universally recognized definition. Results showed that there are various factors that constitute a successful marriage. Some of the common themes that emerged were “understanding”, “making sacrifices”, “respect” and “patience”. The study employed semi-structured interviews with couples residing in Karachi, allowing for in-depth qualitative data collection. Interviews were conducted with 6 couples, 3 of whom were married for 4-7 years and 3 were married for more than 20 years. Couples believed that the factors considered important in the early years of marriage change as time goes by and the relationship progresses. Moreover, there were paradoxical views on the difference of these factors from a generational point of view, however, all participants agreed that the previous generations had different priorities in their marital relationship as compared to today’s couples. Further study and analysis could be done on a larger scale to test this thesis for generalizability and validity.

Pages

46

Download

The full text of this document is only accessible to authorized users.

Share

COinS