The needs of young Afrikaans speaking married couples for marriage enrichment programmes

Abstract

Marriages in South Africa in today’s times were found to be in a critical situation. Statistics have proven that most marriages end in divorce within the first five years of marriage. Although marital preparation and enrichment courses are available in South Africa, no specific course exists that is specifically designed for the needs of young married Afrikaans speaking couples. On the grounds of available information it was decided to determine the needs of young Afrikaans speaking married couples whom are married for 1-5 years. By doing this it will enable us to design a marital enrichment programme that will focus on their specific needs. Young married couples will be encouraged to attend marital enrichment programmes. It will assist the couple not to be overwhelmed by the difficult adjustments married life brings and will provide for positive growth within their relationship. It is encouraging to note that all couples who participated in the research previously attended marital enrichment and/or preparation courses and they all acknowledged that it made a positive contribution to their marriage life. The greatest need that is currently not addressed by marital courses is “The different phases within the marital relationship”. Most couples indicated that they had difficult times during the adjustment phase and specifically after the birth of their first child. Most couples indicated that they are still interested in continuous enrichment to ensure growth and development within their relationship.