ResearchResearch Reports

How was it for you? Learning from Couples’ Experiences of their First Year of Marriage

Ann B. Ryan, NUI Maynooth for ACCORD (2002)

This document reports on qualitative research with couples in their first year of marriage, who had undertaken ACCORD marriage preparation courses. It was commissioned by ACCORD Dublin and funded by the Families Research Programme of the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs.

The research evaluates the effectiveness of the marriage preparation courses, and explores the day-to-day dynamics of marriage in the first year. These dynamics are shaped by the social frames of reference, or discourses, which the participants use to make sense of their experiences. The term discourses refers to ways of seeing or understanding, which permeate the way people think, act and speak. The discourses available to the research participants fall into two broad groups: consumerist and quality-of-life. Discourses of gender difference also feature strongly.

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How was it for you? Learning from Couples’ Experiences of their First Year of Marriage (.pdf)