Religiosity as a (Non-)Necessary and (Non-)Sufficient Condition for the Permanence of Marriage. Conditions for the Decision to Divorce in Poland

Abstract

ABSTRACT The study focuses on factors considered to be essential in determining opinions about the indissolubility of marriage, reasons which are regarded as important for decisions about potential divorce, and reasons which are seen as supportive of staying in a relationship despite a crisis and dissatisfaction with a marriage. The study was performed on a representative sample Polish residents (one of the most Catholic countries in the world), using face-to-face Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI). The model of religiosity defined by the Roman Catholic Church in Poland seems to be weakening when it comes to the dissolubility of marriage. This raises questions about how important religiosity is for attitudes towards marriage permanence and other extra-religious factors involved in the decision to divorce or remain married. The stance on the indissolubility of marriage diversifies reasons for the decision to divorce and the reasons for staying in an unsatisfying relationship. Persons with the traditional approach to the permanence of marriage provide considerably fewer reasons for the decision to divorce and more arguments for staying in an unsatisfying relationship, but they can still find reasons to justify separation; conversely, people with a liberal attitude towards marriage indissolubility find reasons for staying in a relationship.