Marital Satisfaction among Coptic Orthodox Husbands and Wives.

      Аннотация: Marriage in the Coptic Orthodox Church is a sacrament. Coptic Orthodox Christians are allowed to marry one spouse. Coptic Orthodox Christian husbands and wives have the right to divorce only in the case of evidenced adultery or apostasy. This qualitative study is the first of its kind to consider marital satisfaction among Coptic Orthodox Christian Egyptian-Americans. The analysis of the collected data in this study provided a rich description of the Coptic Orthodox Christian Egyptian-Americans’ lived marital experiences and an identification of factors that influence their level of marital satisfaction. The findings of the study indicate that there is a conflict between the Coptic Orthodox Church’s view of marriage and that of the American society. Many Coptic Orthodox Christian Egyptian-American wives began to reject the subordinate position in family. They started to seek more autonomy and equal power in marital relationship. Many Coptic Orthodox Christian Egyptian-American husbands started to reject their original identity and accept the life style and values of the American society.

Ключевые слова: Marriage, divorce, marital satisfaction, Coptic Orthodox Church