Marital Rituals Among Divorced and Married Couples

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between marital rituals and the success or failure of the marriage. Seventy seven black, middle class females were divided into four groups: those married for three years or less, those divorced after having been married for three years or less. those married for ten years or more, and those divorced after having been married for ten years or more. All groups were given two Ritual Questionnaires. Results indicated that the two married groups reported engaging in more rituals than the two divorced groups. Women who were married ten years or more reported engaging in the most rituals; while those divorced after ten or more years of marriage reported engaging in the least number of rituals. However, despite the low rate of ritual participation, the veteran, divorced women, rated the rituals as being very important for them. Among all participants, the ritual activity appeared to cluster together into meaningful factors.

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