Marriage in the Midst of Studies: Factors, Challenges and Implications for UniSHAMS Students

Abstract

Marriage is one of the ways to avoid falling into forbidden matters such as adultery according to Islamic law. The purpose of marriage is to obtain love and mercy between husband and wife. However, marriage during undergraduate studies has its own advantages and disadvantages. Although marriage can be a source of excellence, it can also bring challenges to students. Continuing from this issue, this study was conducted to identify the factors influencing marriage among UniSHAMS students, study the challenges faced by UniSHAMS students who are married while holding the titles of husband and wife, and examine the implications of marriage among UniSHAMS students before and after becoming husbands or wives. This study used a qualitative research design. The data for this study were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using content and thematic analysis methods. The study found that there are several factors that encourage UniSHAMS students to get married. Among these factors are family, age, religious awareness and environment. Meanwhile, for challenges, UniSHAMS students have to deal with challenges of time, emotions and finance during marriage. In terms of implications, this study adds to the knowledge about the causes and challenges of marriage among UniSHAMS students and is beneficial to the universities, especially the Department of Student Affairs UniSHAMS, and the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) for use in future research.