To marry or not to marry? : a mixed method study on the attitudes toward marriage of young women who got pregnant

Abstract

This study sought to explore the perceptions of Filipino young women who got pregnant at an early age, toward marriage. This study also aimed to determine the attitudes of women on marriage and identify the factors that influence their marriage decision. The researcher conducted a survey on 105 young women who got pregnant followed by in-depth interviews of two groups with five participants each, one group composed of young women who got pregnant and opted to marry, and the other group of women who got pregnant but disagreed to get married. The research utilized descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests of association such as Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and qualitative techniques such as thematic analysis. The results showed that both attitudes and perceptions toward marriage of young women who got pregnant were ambivalent. Furthermore, only the religiosity variable had a significant correlation with attitude towards marriage. The top three factors affecting their attitudes on marriage identified were Family Background, (2) Religion, and (3) Values, Tradition, and Culture. Lastly, with regards to their realizations and perceived effect of marriage, the results showed minimal difference in the lived experiences of the two groups.