Accepability of Civil Marriage in a Multidenominational Society: Results of an Empirical Survey in Lebanon

Family laws in Lebanon are administered by eighteen religious institutions, while the Lebanese State has abandoned its duty to produce any unified civil marriage contract. Competition between religious institutions provides a large number of marriage contracts for the Lebanese citizens who have the ability of converting from one denomination to the other seeking for their favorite contract. A statistical survey on 603 couples allows us to sketch the portrait of a typical Lebanese who would accept the implementation of a civil marriage regime in Lebanon. Religious affiliation is essential to understand this willingness.