Psychological readiness for marriage of boys and girls during their student years

Background. Modern society is undergoing a transformation of marital and family values, which is manifested in an increasing number of divorces, postponement of marriage to a later age and the spread of alternative forms of relationships (cohabitation, childfree). The student period is key for the formation of marital and family attitudes, however, research shows that only 5% of students demonstrate sufficient readiness for family life. Despite the relevance of the topic, there are not enough works studying the specifics of psychological readiness for marriage among students. This determines the need for research to identify the level and characteristics of such readiness, taking into account gender differences.

Purpose. To identify the level and features of psychological readiness for marriage among students, as well as to analyze gender differences in marital and family attitudes.

Materials and methods. The study involved 60 students (30 girls and 30 boys) aged 18-22 from Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University. The following experimental methods were used: the "Family Readiness Assessment Card" test (I.F. Yund), the "Motivational readiness for marriage" questionnaire (S.V. Zholudeva), the "Moral readiness for Marriage" questionnaire (E.K. Pogodina), the author's questionnaire, which includes questions about attitudes to marriage during the student period. For statistical data processing, the Student's criterion was used to compare groups.

Results. The study showed that the majority of students (82%) have a low level of moral readiness for marriage. Only 5% of the participants demonstrated sufficient readiness for family life, while 77% were at an average (satisfactory) level. Girls are more likely than boys to be oriented towards marriage with a specific person (t=4.78, p<0.01) and show a higher moral readiness (t=5, p<0.01). Boys are more likely to be inclined to "abstract marriage" (52%), that is, they do not have clear criteria for choosing a partner. These data reflect current trends: young people are postponing marriage, more often choosing alternative forms of relationships and demonstrating a lack of awareness in matters of family life.