The Tradition of Marriage

Eleven years ago same-sex marriage was banned in the United States of America. However, today, seventeen states in the U.S. have legalized same-sex marriage. Due to a rapidly evolving society and its image on relationships, it is clear that marriage is becoming more socially accepting in today’s society. Benefits of marriage are extended across genders, therefore, all couples in society should be allowed to marry to better the nation as a whole. Marriage in the 21st century has become far less traditional, yet the family dynamics like childbearing, emotional support, and stability remain very traditional.

While in most societies, some people may view marriage as pointless and unintelligent as well as believe that cohabiting or being single is wiser. Nevertheless, statistically, being born into wedlock would be very beneficial toward a child’s well being. For example, Waite and Gallagher states, “on average, children of married parents are physically and mentally healthier, better educated, and later in life, enjoy more career success than children in other family settings. Children with married parents are also more likely to escape some of the more common disasters of late twentieth-century childhood and adolescence” (124). Children with married parents are better off in life because they receive both the mother and father’s perspective in life. It is necessary to be reared in life with gender specific support because the feminine aspect from mother will expose the child to nurture, while the masculine aspect from father will expose the child to discipline. According to Waite and Gallagher, “Sixty percent of children in intact families enroll in college, compared to 50 percent of children in one-parent or stepparent famili...

... middle of paper ...

...llege degree, less likely to commit physical or sexual crimes, less likely to do drugs or alcohol, and less likely to be influenced into peer pressure. By married couples providing emotional support to one another as well as their children, the communication will help them get through tough situations. Having a sense of committed and valuable stability, such as respecting the vows in the marriage by being honest and trustworthy, the base of the family will be a stable marriage. With the promotion of marriage through the different federal healthy marriage initiatives and programs, overall family life will be more structured and alleviate poverty while simultaneously encouraging “healthy” marriages. If healthy marriages were strongly promoted not only through the government, but also by the citizens, would more individuals marry to experience the beauty of marriage?