Aims: In different societies, the continuation of marriage and its satisfaction are increasingly decreasing. Since the patterns of spouse-selecting have changed from traditional to modern, and some scholars have shown the relationship between these two variables, this study aimed to investigate marital satisfaction in different patterns of marriage, and analysis of the results was done by using some Quran verses.
Instrument & Methods: In this cross-sectional study in 2014, 880 married women in reproductive age (15-49 years) in Babol City, Iran, were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. The spouse-selecting style questionnaire was used to examine marital satisfaction patterns and the Walter and Hudson marital satisfaction questionnaire was used to assess the marital satisfaction. Data analysis was performed in SPSS 21 software, using Chi-square, independent T-test and logistic regression tests. The overall results were analyzed by looking at Quranic verses.
Findings: Autonomy in choosing a spouse, level of education, economic status and the pattern of marriage were effective in marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction was 1.98 times higher among women who had a high degree of autonomy in choosing a spouse than women who did not have autonomy. Marital satisfaction in women with primary and secondary education was 40% lower than that of women with university education. Marital satisfaction in women with low economic status was 65% lower than women with high economic status. Marital satisfaction was 2.23 times higher among women who had a combined marriage pattern (p<0.05). This result was confirm to verses 5 of Sura Maedeh, 25 of Sura Nisa and 235 of Sura Baqar, which prohibited secret friendships before marriage.
Conclusion: Mixed marriage pattern in women leads to more marital satisfaction compared to modern marriage.