Bulk of couples surveyed by Chev, ‘satisfied in their marriage’

SUZANNE BELLING

Pictured :Steve and Des Weinberg, the winners of the kosher trip to Mauritius in the Chevrah Kadisha marriage week competition.

A cross-section of the community responded to the widely-advertised online survey.

The Chevrah Kadisha said this finding “offers renewed faith in the ideal of the institution of marriage and its continued relevance in today’s world”.

A prize of a trip to Mauritius for the winning couple in a draw was an incentive to complete the survey.

The survey did not ask respondents to indicate whether they were observant or not.

The survey also gave a picture of marriage in the community today:

• A small minority rated their marriages at three out of 10 and below. “These couples should consider engaging in marriage counselling if they have not yet done so. International research indicates that couples often wait at least seven years before reaching out for help,” the Chev commented.
• The vast majority of couples are able to deal with their differences effectively with more than 90 per cent feeling close to their spouses. They found successful ways to manage conflict.
• Many couples struggle to balance their leisure time with and without their partners and battle to find time for one another, possibly reflecting today’s fast-paced lifestyle.
• A significant number of respondents stated that they did not agree on how to spend money. Finances are a notorious cause of marital dissatisfaction. The high cost of living as a Jew in South Africa and unrealistic expectations and different spending styles, contributed to this finding.

Identifying details of each couple were kept confidential when analysing the results. Steve and Des Weinberg were the lucky winners of the kosher trip to Mauritius, organised by the Chevrah Kadisha.