Keywords
long-term marriages
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Abstract
In Poland, as in other European Union countries, the number of marriages is decreasing from decade to decade. This is caused by two phenomena: the decreasing number of marriages and the increasing number of divorces. Therefore, we should ask what the future of this social institution will be. An attempt to answer this question can be found in the results of research on spouses in long-term marriages. In total, 24 interviews were conducted with people who had been married for at least 25 years. Respondents, from the perspective of their own experiences and decisions regarding the intimate life of their offspring, gave their views on the characteristics of marriage as well as the role this institution performs towards individuals and society. They also commented on the future of the institution of marriage. Their forecasts were not optimistic. In their opinion, marriage is an institution that requires many sacrifices from partners, and it often does not provide the benefits that spouses expect. Nowadays, marriage is an alternative to other forms of personal life, such as cohabitation, single parenthood or being single.
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