INTERPERSONAL SOLIDARITY AS A FACTOR OF MARITAL SATISFACTION
This study investigated the influence of interpersonal solidarity on marital satisfaction among employed couples in Ado Ekiti metropolis. Data for the study were collected from a total of 187 participants (87 men and 100 women) who are currently married and employed, using the convenience sampling method. The Interpersonal Solidarity Scale (ISS) developed by Wheeless (1976) and the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (KMSS) developed by Schumm et. al. (1983) were used for data collection and data collected were analyzed through the use of both the descriptive and inferential statistics. The statistical package for social scientists (SPSS, version 2.0) was used. Two hypothesis were formulated and tested using the 2 by 2 Analysis of Variance and results of data analysis revealed that there is a significant influence of interpersonal solidarity on the marital satisfaction of employed couples in Ado Ekiti metropolis {F (2,181) = 24.45, p < .01}. There is, however, no significant gender differences in expressed marital satisfaction among the employed couples in Ado Ekiti metropolis; and no significant interactive influence of interpersonal solidarity and gender was found on marital satisfaction of employed couples in Ado Ekiti metropolis. The findings were discussed in the light of available literature and it was recommended that would-be partners should learn not to be cynical about love but always be guided into their relationships by interpersonal love, respect for each other, unhindered communication patterns, and commitment to the love for themselves rather than being lured into relationships or even marriages by mundane, humdrum and earthly material things.