Part B (30%) According to the Pew Research Centre, study suggests that couples who marry early have

a greater likelihood of getting divorce. It was found that in Arkansas and Oklahoma whereby couples married earlier have higher divorced rates compared to places like New York whereby first-time married couple were much older and it had a lower divorce rate. The Wall Street Journal had even once stated that early marriage is the No. 1 predator of divorce. According to the column in the journal, sociologist in Penn mentioned that young people aged 18 to 25 are expected to explore their identity, work and love by delaying marriage and parenthood. If they fail to postpone these transitions would instead miss out on better career opportunities, make poor choices on partners and may later experienced problems. Research has also mentioned that divorce rates are very high in couples who married early especially in those who married in their teenage years. Studies showed that though they are attracted to each other, it could be infatuation, and once they started living together, they realized that they are not made for each other and divorce would be an option. According to Dr. Intan Hasimah, (2010), The first few years of marriage, are the most challenging years, so couples who get married early may less likely succeed in their relationship. It is challenging for a 20 year old to be married, what more if the couple is in their teenage years. Pennsylvania Divorce Statistics states that the divorce rates had been falling over the past two decades as sociologist and married counselors believed that people nowadays are more cautious regarding jumping into marriage. They are more likely to wait to get married. In the United States, it was found that 64 percent of women who married before the age of 25 were divorcees, however only 16 percent of women who married in their late twenties divorced. This shows that women who get married before 25 were four times more likely to get a divorce. Men also show similar numbers with the only difference in the age. Men are less likely to get divorce if they marry after the aged of 30 compared to women at the aged of 25. Various studies have been carried out, showing the relation between early marriages leading to higher divorce rate. This is also due to various contributing factors.
7

The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors in early marriage which leads to divorce and to suggest some possible solutions to reduce this phenomenon. The researcher would like to look into the contributing factors of marrying at an early age which lead to higher divorce rates. After looking at the contributing factors, the researcher would then suggest possible solutions in lowering the divorce rates among couples who married early. The research question for this research are narrowed down to, early marriage, does it really leads to higher divorce possibility? Why do couples who married young have higher possibility of divorce? What are the factors contributing? How do prevent or lower the rate of divorce for those who married early? Sample For this research, the researcher has decided to use the purposive sampling method as it group participants according pre-selected criteria relevant to the particular research question. In this case, the researcher will be selecting two interviewees from both genders who married at a young age. The interviewees selected will be those whose marriage are undergoing some difficulties and might have the intention of getting divorce as referring to the research question, the researcher would like to find out the factors which lead to those marrying young, getting divorce. The sample sized are fixed prior to the data collection, however it also depends on the resources and time available as well as the objective of the research. The two samples selected are mostly due to convenience. The participants selected are those who the researcher can have easy access to and people surrounding the researcher. The argument behind this selection is due to the high sensitivity of the researchers topic regarding marriage and divorce. Therefore the researcher believed that people who are closer to the researcher will be more willing to talk about such personal and sensitive topic in detail compared to strangers which the researcher picked at random. Interview Protocol The technique chosen for data collection in this research will be through interviews. For this research, the researcher has chosen to use semi-structured interview whereby a set of open-ended questions are set based on the research question and the research objectives. The purpose of selecting a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions is to allow the
8

interviewer to venture more in-depth on the research area. This allows the interviewees to discuss in more detail on the questions asked and also on the topic concerned. Using openended questions, the interviewees are given the opportunities to express their opinions and also their viewpoints on the questions asked. The interviewees are also allowed to discuss on certain topic with more details. Furthermore, the researcher will be putting into used the probing technique, as the interviewee might not completely understand the questions asked, or might be in doubts or confusion at certain times, the researcher is then able to clarify to the interviewee on topic asked. At certain times, if the interviewee touches on certain areas which interest the researcher, the researcher can also probe the interviewee for more complete details. Among the common types of probes, two will be used in this research by the researcher, the elaboration probe and also the clarification probe. The researcher had decided to record the hold interview using a recorder. The participants will be informed about the recording. No notes will be taken during the interview, as it might disrupt the participants which lead the interviewer to make a choice of recording the whole conversation instead. The interview will be carried out in a private place which is convenient and also comfortable for the interviewees to share their opinions as the issue is a highly sensitive issue. During the interview, only the interviewee and the interviewer would be present, no third parties as this might prevent the interviewee from sharing his or her experienced and they might not be honest when answering the interviewers questions. No pictures of the participant will be taken and no video recording, this is to protect the participants. The interview will take duration of 30 minutes to about one hour or more, depends on the willingness of the participants to share their personal experience on the issue with the interviewer. Data Collection and Data Analysis A semi-structured interview is conducted personally with each interviewee. During this interview, the same set of open-ended questions will be used for both participants. It consist of about 12 open ended questions whereby each participant are given the opportunity to express their viewpoint on the subject questioned and to shared on their area of interest.

The questions for the interview are enclosed in Appendix A. The answers from the participants are presented below. The interviewer started off by asking the participants the age which they had gotten married. It was found that both participants married at a rather young age, the female participant, known as Participant A married at the aged of 19, whereby the male participant, better known as Participant B, married at the aged of 20. The interviewer than went on further to asks the interviewees the reasons which lead them to early marriage. Both participants had different answers. Participant A mentioned that it was because of her parents strong objection regarding her relationship with her current husband which leads her to her rebellious decision. She further added on that they were both young and with their rebellious nature, they wanted to prove that they really loved each other and they will get married to one another. This is the reason which made the both of them tie the knot. As for Participant B, he mentioned that it was due to the fact that his wife had gotten pregnant and he believed that it is his responsibility to marry her. Therefore, from the viewpoint and answers of both participants, the researcher can say that Participant A married due to her rebellious nature and without a deeper thought regarding marriage life and consequences whereas Participant B married due to responsibility. Both participants honestly shared that their family were not happy with their decision as their parents and relatives believed that they were both too young and not ready for such heavy responsibilities. The participants also further add on that in the process of preparation for their marriage, heated arguments happened between the parents of the bride and the bridegrooms. Each was not exactly happy with their decision and choice. Next the interviewer went on to ask both the participants if they were financially ready for married life at the tender age of 19 and 20 years old. Participant A mentioned that both she and her spouse were working but jobs with lower status. They were both sales assistants in small local retail stores with rather low salary. She also mentioned that both their salary could hardly support their own living if it wasnt for their family backing up some of their expenses. This is because she is just a fresh school-leaver while he was a drop-out back in secondary school. Participant B on the other hand mentioned that he does not have an exactly stable income, but it was counted as a family business. He and his brother are involved in doing ceiling plastering therefore their income depend on the projects they manage to get. However, as it was a family business and he had his brother support things
10

were on a brighter side. His wife was not working as she had just finished her Form 5 and was pregnant. The researcher then asked about their mental preparation regarding the challenges of married life. Both participants honestly admitted that they were not prepared. Participant A mentioned that she thought married life was a bed of roses, she thought it was like in fairy tales where things were simple and sweet. Participant B said that both he and his partner were not prepared, but they were not given much choice as it was due to pregnancy they had gotten married. He also said that they got into a really terrible fight first week after their wedding. In conjunction with the question above, the researcher ask their viewpoints regarding life after marriage. Participant A stated that it was sweet at first, but as times passes by things started to change, they were in a financial crisis and her husband started turning to the illegal alternatives of earning more for the family, his temper changes as well, turning to a rather hot-tempered guy and soon they had frequent fights and arguments. Participant B however, reviewed the opposite, saying that it was bitter at first as he was not actually very willing to give up his bachelorhood but he was left with no choice. However, he said that he is slowly learning to accept the responsibilities so is his spouse, therefore things are slightly improving. The researcher went on to ask if life was different before and after marriage. Participant A answered that it was indeed different as her spouse no longer took the initiative to give her surprise and life was rather boring and routine. Participant B also agreed that life was different. He mentioned that after marriage, true colours were shown, his spouse was no longer as sweet as a doll but daringly showed her temper and her dissatisfaction. When asked about the time children started coming into their married life, Participant A mentioned that it was within the first year of their married life. Participant B said that it was after half year from their wedding date as his wife was about 4 months pregnant when they had their wedding. The researcher questioned if both participants were ready for the emergence of their kids. Participant A mentioned that she was certainly not ready as she totally had no experience of taking care of children, things were in a mess and her husband was of no help. She mentioned that due to her carelessness, her son was admitted to hospital a couple of time. Emotionally she was also not prepared. She and her spouse were too young and they were more concerned with enjoying their life. Participant B on the other hand mentioned that since
11

they knew about the arrival of their child before their wedding, they were force to be ready. Furthermore his spouse was a fulltime housewife, making things a little easier to cope with. On the surface, they seem prepared for the arrival of the child but emotionally they were not. His wife was not happy having to stay at home, taking care of the baby while her peers were just starting to enjoy life. Her self-esteem was very low and this made her very hot-tempered. Personally, he also could not really control his emotion, when both the baby and his spouse throw tantrums, which leads to the never-ending fights. When asked if kids or married life affected their career advancement, Participant A confirmed that it had. After her first child, very soon she had her second child and there was no one who could help her babysit them, therefore she was force to stop work and take care of her children herself. Babysitters were too expensive for both she and her husband. On the opposition, Participant B mentioned that it doesnt really affect his career advancement as his spouse was in charge of the kids and other domestic concerns. The researcher probed the two participants to share about the readiness of their partners regarding married life and the emergence of their children. Participant A mentioned that her husband was not at all ready; he showed little care to the child and was more concerned bout enjoying life with friends and his wife. He would hit or spank the kids at times when he was emotionally down. Participant B said on the surface, his partner seems alright, but many times she would complain and whine about missing her single life. She has also seem to lose her self confidence after married. Before ending the interview, the researcher asked if both the participants regret marrying at such an early age, Participant A confirmed that she regretted and it seems like an on-going nightmare. Life is like a roller coaster after marriage. Participant B was not very sure. At times he was happy but at other times he sort of regretted. It was a 50/50 decision.

12

Coding System and Coded Data Participant A No. Answers Given 1. 2. I got married at the age of 19.. Codes -Early marriage.

We decided to marry at such an early age partly due to the -Parents objection. strong objection of our parents. We wanted to show them -Rebellious. that we really do love each other and our love is strong and -Immature love. eternal not like what they thought. We were also rebellious, the more they objected, the more we wanted to prove our love. We thought getting married would prove everything.

3.

They were not at all happy. Relatives were also not -Unhappy supportive, thinking that we were too young.. but we -Lack of support insisted. Throughout the preparation process, tons of fights -Arguments and fights and arguments happened..heated argument between both of our family, they just cant seem to come to an agreement on anything..

4.

We were both just sales assistants. I was working for a -Financial problem. goldsmith with a few hundred ringgit salary while he was -Uneducated. just a sales assistant at one of the local supermarket with -Dependent on family. similar salary. We hardly had enough for ourselves and were still mostly depending on our parents. I am just a form 5 leaver so would not be getting any high salary, he didnt even finish his lower secondary.I think that explains our financial state.

5.

I thought married life would be sweet and wonderful just -Unrealistic. like in the movies. Things were great at first.we were so lovey-dovey but -Financial problem. then we started running low in cash and he started to get -Illegal acts. involved in all kinds of illegal deal to earn more for the -Anger. familyhe also gets angry easily and we started arguing at -Arguments and fights. times even fight.

6.

13

7.

He dont take the initiative to give me little surprises -No initiatives. anymore and everyday life was the sameit becomes rather -Bored. boring

8. 9.

Our son was born about a year after we got married.

-Entering parenthood.

I totally had no experience and no one helped me, he was -Inexperience. even worstour son was admitted into the hospital a few -Selfish. times as we were not aware that he had high fever.we were not really concern about the child, we were more interested in enjoying life. DefinitelyI had to stop work after our second son as it -Hinder career was just a year after we had our first, our parents could not babysit thembabysitters were too expensive advancement.

10.

11.

He was not ready he does not even care about the -Unprepared. kidshis only concern was having a good time with me and -Selfish. his friends. If the kids were slightly noisy he would slap or -Violence. spank them or even when he was in a bad mood, he would hit the kids. I really regretted married life is so unpredictable. One -Regret. day it was good another it was terrible.. -Missing bachelorhood.

12.

14

Participant B No. Answers Given 1. 2. got married at the age of 20 Codes -Early marriage.

she told me that she was about 3 months pregnant, so I -Unplanned pregnancy. believed that it was my responsibility to take care of her and -Responsibility. the baby, so I asked her to marry me My parents and my siblings were not very happy relatives -Lack of support. also were not too supportive as they did not have a very -Arguments and fights. good impression of my wifesome arguments happened -Unplanned pregnancy. when we were planning for the weddingthey were not exactly glad with my decision but still except it as she was pregnant

3.

4.

My income is not exactly very stable as I am helping my -Financial problem. brother in his plaster ceiling business it all depends on how many projects we get but at least I have my brother. My wife she is a fulltime housewife she was pregnant right after she finish form 5

5.

We were both not but we werent given much choice -Responsibility. eitherit was more of a responsibilityand believe it or -Arguments and fights. not we got into a really bad fight just one week after we wed

6.

Things were not exactly on the bright side at first, I envy my -Envy. friends who were still singlewish I could be one of -Missing bachelorhood. thembut I realized that I should learn to grow up and now -Responsibility. things are getting slightly better. -Improvement in life.

7.

Things were no longer the same, she was not as sweet and -Complaints. angelic are
15

anymorealways

getting

angry

and

keep -Dissatisfaction.

complaining that she was not satisfied with the way things

8.

Since she was already about 4 months pregnant when we -Entering parenthood. wed, within half a year we had our first child. It was because of the baby we got marriedso we sort of -Dissatisfaction. were force to be ready. Anywhere she is not working so she -Anger. took care of the baby n houseworkseems okbut soon -Complaints. she started to be a little unstable emotionallycomplaining that she did not have a chance to enjoy lifelose her self confidence and she became angry easilyas for me I just cant stand my wife throwing tantrums and the babys constant crying For me its not really affecting, my wife is taking care of the -Career advancement. household things and the kids.I concentrate on my career

9.

10.

11.

She might seem ok but she will used every chance she has to -Losing self confident. complain and wished that she was singleshe is no longer -Missing bachelorhood. confident with herself -Dissatisfaction.

12.

At times I am happy but at others I wished that I could be -Unsure. singleI guess I am still feeling very unsure but I definitely -Missing bachelorhood. know that life was easier when I am single

After coding the items based on the interview questions for both participants, the researcher would analyze the codes by putting them in a table for comparison and contrast also to see the relationship between the two participants and the issue raised.

16

Interpreting coded data Participant A -Early marriage. -Parents objection. -Rebellious. -Immature love. -Unhappy -Lack of support -Arguments and fights -Financial problem. -Uneducated. -Dependent on family. -Unrealistic. -Illegal acts. -Anger. -No initiatives. -Bored. -Entering parenthood. -Inexperience. -Hinder career advancement. -Unprepared. -Selfish. -Violence. -Regret. -Missing bachelorhood. Participant B -Early marriage. -Unplanned pregnancy. -Responsibility. -Lack of support. -Arguments and fights. -Financial problem. -Envy. -Missing bachelorhood. -Improvement in life. -Complaints. -Dissatisfaction. -Entering parenthood. -Anger. -Career advancement. -Losing self confident. -Dissatisfaction. -Unsure.

Through coded data the researcher will do an interpretation regarding the participants challenges on married life and if they are prone to divorce. The researcher will also analyze the contributing factors which lead to the participants to being prone to divorce.

17

Participant A Based on the coded data obtain from the interview, the researcher confirmed that Participant A indeed married at a very tender age of 19. It is shown through her response that she was not ready for the marriage and life after marriage. Getting married was just an impulsive act done by both she and her spouse. It is partly due to their rebellious nature and their parents strong objection. Participant A was still immature at that time and was not aware of the challenges ahead, the same goes with her spouse. As mentioned, her parents strongly objected her marriage, her relative were also not supportive, this shows that their marriage was not build on stable grounds and both family even got into fights and argument in the preparation process. Marriages build on unstable ground and without blessings were indeed a factor to early divorce. The researcher interpreted that financially, Participant A and her spouse were rather unstable, as they both had low income and were not really educated. They depended on their parents for financial support which shows that they are not ready to build their own family. It was also due to financial problem, her spouse started getting involved in illegal acts and arguments between them started which leads on to fights. Consequently, also due to financial problem her spouse could no longer give her little surprises in terms of gifts which loses the spark and chemistry in their marriage. The researcher believed that financial instability is definitely one contributing factor to divorce in those marrying young as most were facing financial difficulties. Participant A was certainly not prepared for married life, not to mention parenthood. Things were going too fast for her and her spouse. Through the interview, the researcher realized that Participant A lack experience in handling difficult situations between her spouse and her kids, her spouse was also unprepared which lead him to his violent acts. She had no career after her married life, losing her self esteem and making her missed her bachelorhood. This lead her to her want in getting divorce. Participant B By interpreting the coded data, the researcher found out that Participant B was also married at a very young age, which is 20 years old and he was not prepared for the challenges of married life, neither was his spouse. He thought that things was easy and simple and did not realize that marriage will lead to emotional instability in his spouse. Furthermore, the
18

researcher realized that this marriage is build upon the unplanned pregnancy, if it was not due to the pregnancy Participant B and his partner would not be considering the issue of marriage. They both were not prepared and not aware of the challenges ahead leading to constant arguments and fights. This shows that early marriage leads to divorce partly because the couple is not prepared physically and mentally for the commitment. It was shown that Participant B was not prepared financially for married life, although he is working for his brother and it is consider a family business, but he did emphasize that his income was unstable and they were facing financial problems. These financial problems lead on to fights and argument and also complaints and dissatisfaction from his spouse. As a result, their marriage was on rocks. Therefore financial instability is also a contributing factor to divorce in early marriage. The researcher also went on to find out that Participant Bs family and his partners family were not exactly supportive of their marriage, partly due to personal reason but partly because they were consider too young to be building a family on their own. It was evident that true enough their marriage were not as expected, things were not really blissful and Participant B himself had let the thought of divorce cross his mind. This shows that immaturity in those marrying young is also a contributing factor to higher rates of divorce. Ethical Issues The ethical issues in this research include informing both participants that the interview will be recorded; however their identity will not be revealed. Their personal details including their names, address, and contact numbers will be kept confidential. The only personal details which will be reviewed were their age and also their gender. The participants were a little reluctant on recording the interview at first but after assurance that their identity will be kept confidential both agreed as the issue related is rather sensitive and personal. The researcher also went on to inform the participants regarding the purpose of the research to let them have a better understanding and a clearer picture of the whole situation. Lastly the researcher provided her personal details and contact number for both participants as a symbol of assurance for their participation as participants are more willing to participate when informed about more in-depth information of the researcher and the purpose of the research.

19

Conclusion In conclusion, the researcher confirmed that some contributing factors to higher divorce rates among those who married early are financial instability, immaturity mentally and emotionally, impulsive decisions and also unpreparedness for the challenges of married life. It was found that both participants expected things to be easy and simple after marriage, they were not aware of the many issues which would need to be coped. The researcher further confirmed that entering parenthood too early is also a contributing factor. It was evident in both participants that the arrival of their children was more of a burden than joy to them. They were not prepared and this make life even more difficult for them, making them yearned to have their single life or life before marriage back. Some recommendations or solution for this problem will be attending pre-marital course. Premarital course is rather like a counseling session where couples are made aware regarding the challenges which exist in married life and also to educate the couples on the correct approach to be taken when dealing with problems which arise in life after marriage. Sex education and religious education should also be introduced among school students to prevent unplanned pregnancy and to let teenagers know their boundaries and limits. This is to prevent teens getting married because of unplanned pregnancy whereby they are not prepared to face the challenges emotionally, physically, mentally and also financially leading to higher divorce rates. Parents ought to be spending more quality time with children, showing concern and care to have enhance their relationship and to avoid youths marrying off early due to lack of attention or possibly to escape their current family life. Lastly it is advisable for the youths to marry after completing their tertiary education or after having a stable career in the job market as financial problem is one of the main contributing factors in early marriage which lead to higher divorce rates and also due to the fact that the youths would be adults and more mature in their thinking after the completion of their studies or as they started putting their food in the jobmarket.

20