The Experience of Sexual Problems in Women Seeking Divorce and Women Satisfied with their Marriage: A Qualitative Study

One of the most important factors influencing marital satisfaction and life satisfaction is sexual satisfaction; as not being satisfactory tends to more severe problems, and even rupture of the marriage. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to assess the experience of sexual problems in women seeking divorce and women satisfied with their marriage.
This was a qualitative study using phenomenology method. Snowballing sampling was used in Vanak and Shahid Mahallati family courts, Tehran, Iran, and sampling continued until reaching the saturation point. 13 women seeking divorce, and 11 women satisfied with their marriage, who were introduced by women seeking divorce, enrolled the study.
In women seeking divorce, 7 codes with the highest frequency were extracted including “sex”, “sexual partnerships”, “sexual schemas”, “interpersonal communication of couples”, “sexual orientation”, “sexuality”, and “living conditions”, respectively. In women satisfied with their marriage, the codes with the highest frequency were as “sexuality”, “interpersonal communication of couples”, “sex”, “sexual partnerships”, “sexual schemas”, “living conditions”, and “sexuality”, respectively. 19 subthemes were pointed by the participants, too.
Sexual issues is one of the factors affecting divorce, sexual satisfaction is one of the most effective factors in solving and disregarding interpersonal problems and marriage satisfactory.