Abstract
Marital success/failure is believed to be partly associated with the parental background of couples especially in Nigeria. This study investigated the relationship between parental marital history and the success/failure of marriages among women. It further examined whether a relationship existed between marital success/failure and the predictor variables of intact marriage, divorce and remarriage. The participants consisted of 377 respondents, randomly selected from the Federal Secretariat in Rivers State, Nigeria. Parental Marital Success/Failure Questionnaire, developed by the researcher was the instrument used to generate data. The data were analyzed using Pearson (r) correlation and regression analysis. The study found a significant positive correlation between parental marital history and success/failure of marriage (p<0.01); and that the multiple variables of intact marriage, divorce and remarriage significantly predicted marital success/failure, with divorce being the highest contributory variable in determining marital success and failure (Beta=.434; T-ratio=4.369). Based on the findings, recommendations were made.