Marriage

[HBK-aholic]

Marriage is arguably losing its appeal. Many couples now choose not to get5 married, and instead simply be together. Marriage rates are on the decline, as many divorce rates are increasing; statistics showing one out of every three marriages end in divorce.

Co-habitation is no longer unacceptable, and is indeed the normal thing to do among younger people, and illegitimacy no longer carries such a social stigma. Couples often live together to see how they get on spending so much time together, with or without marriage beng a factor later on.

People also used to get married to be allowed to have sex with their partner, as it was before looked down on to have sex without being married. However now this is not the case, and many people have a few sexual partners in their lifetime. This just makes marriage seem even more worthless.

Some people, however, like the safety of marriage. It means their partner cannot simply walk out on them. It also means in the case of death, their husband/wife is automatically covered.

So, is marriage an outdated institution? Is co-habitation replacing the institution of marriage? Will this have any effect on children being brought up?

 

[Father:_Polley]

I think without a doubt the influence of marriage has decreased a lot, in line with the decreasing influence that the church has on society. There's no doubt that a lot of the reasons behind why people used to get married are religion based.

However, in my mind there is now doubt that if the relationship is committed, getting married is a way of showing that commitment. If not, then don't get married, as it's only going to end in hate, legal fees and loss of money.

Maybe my view is tainted by my religious background, maybe by the fact I am engaged, but I do think the idea of marriage is good, as it shows just how commited they are to each other.

 

[klunderbunker]

I have to agree marriage is dying in it's appeal. It's supposed to be a sacred institution, but just look at it. You have tv shows like the bachelor, the bachelorette, who wants to marry a millionaire and others like it. These shows are nothing but cheap ways to get ratings through people "finding real romance", yet what's the longest anyone stays together on there? Marriage has become a joke in society today. People get married for litterally hours at a time anymore. It's no suprise that so many end in divorce anymore. After seeing what's been going on with it, I'm actually afraid to get married now. That's sad.

 

[Joaquim Akaem]

I hate weddings. I don't even see the point in marriages anymore, they cause more trouble than anything else.
With a ridiculous amount of people going through long and difficult divorces, the magic of true love and romance is lost.
In todays society, people use the once sacred act of marriage as a way to get that money money.
Whether it be a wise business decision, or just some manipulative witch trying to get an easy life, or even some z-list celebrity trying to get some notoriety selling pictures of the wedding dress or whatever.
My sister, has been with the same guy for almost twelve years, have lived together since she was 19 and have a child who is 10. They have never been married, but what would be different if they were?
True love will last forever, there is no need to ever have a ceremony to prove that.

 

[Testicular Claw]

I hope the institution of marriage is phasing out. I think it's pretty silly. I don't see why you need to form some kind of agreement that entails you loosing half of your stuff should things not work out. I don't see why you need your partnership recognized by the state. There is some comedian that jokes about it, saying something to the effect of "oh yeah honey, or love is so strong lets get the government involved". The whole thing is mess. It's not a sacred institution, for most of it's history it wasn't amount love it's been a property arrangement. It dates back to when men more or less owned women. Plus I think it's unreasonable to promise yourself to someone forever because you don't know how things are going to turn out and really I'm pretty sure biologically speaking we like most mammals weren't meant to be with one person forever.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

1. Price - Weddings aren't cheap, and most people don't want a cheap wedding as it is.

2. Flexibility - As mentioned by others, we are no longer controlled by merely religious views, so when you have more of a flexibility to choose a path in your life, to some, marriage might not be a necessary part of it.

3. Social Acceptability - No more scarlet letters or hangings or anything of the sort. If you have sex before marriage, you're not going to be an outcast to the townspeople lol. Also, divorces are more acceptable now, so there's less of a stress to get one.

4. Stress - The level of stress for everyone seems to go up, even if you're a toddler, which is depressing. With all this extra stress, some people just don't feel like going through the troubles of marriage.


I doubt it'll ever cease to exist, though. People still cherish a successful marriage, and I think deep down, most people still would love to find someone that they spend the rest of their lives with and are considered connected to, despite not being blood related. However, I could very well see marriage changing to the point where its no longer a religious ceremony, but more along the lines of a universal "civil union" type of deal.