The study of the criteria for the selection of spouses among students in medical university at Sabzevar in 1386

Objectives:
Choosing someone to get married to, considered an important stage in one’s mental growth, is an important and inevitable event in one’s life. Many authorities have always emphasized that marriage as a social behavior is done to satisfy one’s emotional and affective needs. If, in addition to enjoying the necessary physical, mental and social characteristics for marriage, one uses adequate criteria to choose someone to get married to, he or she is less likely to face problems and quarrels of married life.
Method:
This descriptive study was performed to determine spouse selection criteria used and followed by university students. The statistical population of the study included all the university students at Sabzevar Medical University. From this population, a sample of 353 students was randomly selected. Having developed the needed questionnaire, the researchers estimated its reliability through Cronbach Alpha. The obtained data were then analyzed using SPSS.
Findings:
The participants of the study consisted of 353 male ( 34.87% ) and female ( 65.2 % ) students. The mean age of the sample was 20.13 ( -+ 1.21 ). The findings of the study showed that the participants believed that the appropriate ages for marriage are 25. 22 and 21.63 for males and females respectively. Moreover, it was revealed that female participants gave more importance to 3 criteria of honesty, good-temperedness, and virginity while male ones viewed honesty, good-temperedness and loyalty as the first most important criteria in selecting spouses. As can be seen, two criteria are common among the male and female participants. From the perspective of female participants the least important criteria were: 1. being a relative, 2. living in the same town, 3. having a good financial status. The least important criteria for male participants were: 1. being from the same town, 2. being a relative, and 3. having commitment to religious dos and don’ts.
Conclusion:
The university students studied in this study considered honesty and morality ( good-temperedness) the two important criteria to select someone to get married with. It seems that these two personal characteristics are valued among university students.