Love as a Factor in Marital Decision in Contemporary Poland

Premarital behavior and attitudes in contemporary Poland are presented, with emphasis on the social sphere in which future spouses become acquainted and on motivations in marital decisions. The diminishing parental role in marital choices of young people and abatement of the economic factor in marital selections for traditional families are discussed. Analysis is based on 1972 press survey results from a sample of 1,648 respondents to the Warsaw Youth Daily and from additional data. Familial, economic and emotional motivational concepts as well as traditional, universal and modern values in mate selection are examined. The most important variable is the respondent's sex. When men and women give reasons for marriage, their opinions differ significantly. When speaking of themselves, both sexes claim similar motives for marriage. Each sex indicates a sexstereotypic reason for marital choice but the respondents' marital decisions seem to be far from being based on a sex stereotype. The respondants themselves do not consider their own decisions as being based on sex stereotypes, possibly indicating that sex stereotypes, may no longer be taken for granted as a basis for marital decision. The main factor in modern marital decision is "love", while the primary goal seems to be satisfying emotional desires

Developmental psychology · Marital status · Mate choice · Political science · Population · Premarital sex · Respondent · Sexual behavior · Sociology · Stereotype (UML) · Demography · Labour Market and Migration · Psychology · Social Issues in Poland · Social Psychology