The Current State of Marriage

878 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of marriage

Marriage is an institution that has always been considered sacrosanct in societies around the world; however, recent trends and statistics indicate that the importance of having a sound and lasting marriage has declined in recent years. The divorce rate in America is currently 50% of all marriages; this means that for every two couples wed, one of those couples will end up separated. (CITATION) The current state of marriage as exemplified in Didion’s essay “Marrying Absurd” and evident in modern society is a direct result of cultural values towards marriage, religious beliefs in relation to marriage, and the ideas today’s society has towards marriage. (CITATION) Such issues, along with financial issues and infidelity, are what cause such high divorce rates in America.

Money is one of the leading causes of divorce. A large percentage of marital stress comes from financial strain; couples that struggle financially are more likely to argue regularly about money, which greatly increases the risk of divorce. (CITATION) On the other side of the spectrum, a couple with financial stability and an abundance of money is just as likely to divorce as the financially struggling couple. When there is enough money to be split equally between the couple, divorce becomes a financially viable option for marriages already on the brink of failure. (CITATION) While finances do play a hand in the general happiness of married people, divorce statistics across time show that divorce rates are independent of the economy. So what else causes irreconcilable differences in marriages?

Infidelity is another concern for the couples of today, seeing as how affairs have become increasingly common as of late, with 50-70% of divorces ending due to infide...

... middle of paper ...

...ti V. . Buscemi and

Charlotte Smith. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 60-63. Print.

Divorce Online Is Fast And Easy | CompleteCase.com. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

.

"Divorce Statistics in the USA | Divorce Information." How to Divorce - The Essential

Guide to Divorce, Laws about Divorce, Divorce Rates, Free Divorce, Divorce

Lawyers & More. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

.

Dowd, Casey. "Why So Many Baby Boomers Are Getting Divorced." Foxbusiness.com.

FOXBusiness, 23 June 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

boomers-are-getting-divorced/>.

"Fast Facts about American Religion." Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Web. 28

Nov. 2011.

Show More
Related

  • The Differences Between Dorian Solot’s and Stephanie Coontz’s Essays

    1619 Words  | 4 Pages

    Is marriage really important? There is a lot of controversy over marriage and whether it is eminent. Some people believe it is and some people believe it is not. These opposing opinions cause this controversy. “On Not Saying ‘I do’” by Dorian Solot explains that marriage is not needed to sustain a relationship or a necessity to keep it healthy and happy. Solot believes that when a couple gets married things change. In “For Better, For Worse”, Stephanie Coontz expresses that marriage is not what is traditional in society because it has changed and is no longer considered as a dictator for people’s lives. The differences between these two essays are the author’s writing style and ideas.

    Read More

  • Testosterone and Infidelity

    1822 Words  | 4 Pages

    A man has been married to his wife for seven years. The couple has two beautiful children, a fabulous home, and appear to have the perfect marriage. After the husband leaves work one afternoon, he decides to stop in at the local bar. The man sits at a table in the corner of the room. Not long after his arrival, a woman approaches him. She asks the man if she can join him at his table. The two seem to have quite a bit in common and enjoy each other’s company. The woman asks if he would like to go back to her apartment. He has not had a fight with his wife today. In fact, she surprised him with a love note in his briefcase. Their sex life is enjoyable, frequent, and without complaint. The couple is not currently having financial problems. Despite this, why did the man decide to leave with a stranger and cheat on his wife? A great deal of research has been carried out on the topic of infidelity. Marital therapists have reported that more than half of the couples they counsel are in therapy as a result of infidelity (Atkins, Jacobson citation). Therapists also consider an extramarital affair as, “one of the most damaging relationship events and one of the most difficult problems to treat in couples therapy” (whisman predicting sexual infidelity…). Some therapists estimate that 50% to 65% of couples seek help after an incident of infidelity in their relationship (Atkins, Jacobson & Baucom). Identifying the reasons for this problem are essential to the success of its reduction. Infidelity is not a new phenomenon. However, there was little research on the topic until the late 1970’s (Drigotas & Barta, 2001). Numerous factors have been examined while trying to determine the root cause for extramarital relationships a...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Marital Decline And Marital Resilience Perspective

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marriage is the legal or formally recognized union of a man and a woman, or two people or the same sex as partners in a relationship. Marriage rates in the United States have changed drastically since the last 90’s and early 2000 years (Cherlin 2004). Marital decline perspective and marital resilience perspective are the two primary perspectives and which we believe are the results from the decline. The marital decline perspective is the view that the American culture has become increasingly individualistic and preoccupied with personal happiness (Amato, 2004). The change in attitudes has changed the meaning of marriage as a whole, from a formal institution

    Read More

  • Marriage Culture in the United States

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    The culture that exists in America is one that is constantly changing to suit the times and the many different types of people that reside in the country. One aspect of American culture that has changed profoundly is the institution of marriage. Marriage began as the undisputed lifestyle for couples willing to make the ultimate commitment to one another. However in less than a century, pointless and destructive alternatives such as premarital cohabitation, have developed to replace marriage.

    Read More

  • Young Adult´s View on Marriage in the United States

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this study, researchers wanted to know young adults’ views of marriage in the United States. In order to do so, they asked simple questions about marriage and commitment to 424 people ages 21 to 38 from various socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. The results showed that there are two major types of marital constructs, and two major arguments in the debate of marriage’s current state. The two categories of people who think of marriage are called the marriage naturalists and the marriage planners. Both groups of people have nearly opposite views on the idea of what is needed to be able to have a good, healthy marriage. The major arguments about the current state of marriage in the U.S are the marriage decline and the marriage resilience perspectives. These are also polarized, naturally.

    Read More

  • How the Western Concept of Marriage has Changed

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    South, S. J. & Spitze, G. (1986). Determinants of divorce over the marital life course. American Sociological Review, 51(4), 583-590.

    Read More

  • The High Divorce Rate in the United States

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    Divorce can be caused by problems such as drugs, adultery, abuse, and money. The United States is a fast-paced country with little to no time to spend on the basic family values it was founded upon. Jobs are more demanding, kids are spending most of their time with people other than their parents, and the economy drains marriages by causing worry and stress. The foundation upon which marriage was built has been shaken.

    Read More

  • Adultery in The Lady with The Pet Dog and The Storm

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    Infidelity is depicted as an extremely negative thing in the United States, and is often blamed for trust issues, psychologically damaging the spouse and their children, tearing apart marriages and families and more. People who commit adultery are often shamed and told how wrong what they did is and what a terrible person they are for doing it. According to the Journal of Martial and Family by the Associated Press, however, 41% of “marriages where one or both spouses admit to infidelity, either physical or emotional.” Clearly, while infidelity is generally viewed negative by society, many people either decide that it is not as negative as it is portrayed, or do not care and do it anyway. “The Lady with the Pet Dog” and “The Storm” both go against the typical view of adultery being a negative thing in a relationship by showing that it can actually have a beneficial outcome and leave some, if not all people happier.

    Read More

  • Transformation of Marriage:

    2293 Words  | 5 Pages

    When Love Story first appeared, our society was still extremely absorbed in a marriage culture that encouraged and supported getting and staying married. But inside a few years, the women's movement, the pill, the sexual revolution, and various economic shifts had permanently transformed that marriage-centric society. Marriage is not an endangered species, but it is surrounded by enormous difficulties that were not readily apparent 35 or 40 years ago. Divorce is a very serious presence — over 50 percent of our marriages end in di...

    Read More

  • Sociological Analysis of Divorce

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every year approximately 2.4 million marriages occur.Out of those,2.1 millionwill file for divorce in the United States. These marriage and divorce rates have significantly increased since the years past(Coltrane and Adams, 364).According to Schoen, in the 1950’s, 15 out of 1,000 marriages ended in divorce.In the 1970’s, the rates of divorcedoubled,increasing to 40 per 1,000 marriages. Currently, the rate of marriages resulting in divorce remains the same. Most marriages are ending within seven years ofthemarriage for multiple different reasons. Sociologists haveestablisheddivorce as a social problem from the rise in divorcerates due to the early year of marriages (2006).

    Read More

  • Infidelity

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    There was a time when more smart-conscious decisions were made relating to sexual relationships. In particular, sexual relationships within a marriage. However, times have changed. The pillars that hold up our individual sexual values have started to crumble. It is estimated that two out of three marriages fail due to infidelity. This is a scary statistic considering that people believe a marriage can survive infidelity. This brings us to our first myth: Everyone has affairs.

    Read More

  • Decline Of Marriage In America Essay

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women have the same ability has men to support a family in today’s world. Both women and men go to college to get degree and high paying jobs. Having “additional economic options make marriage -- and staying in a difficult marriage -- less attractive to women” (Hawkins).

    Read More

  • Marriage as an Outdated Institution

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    is the most usual in which a man and a woman unite themselves in the

    Read More

  • Romantic Love Is a Poor Basis for Marriage

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is easy to understand why finances continue to be the leading cause of divorce, especially when many couples tend to overlook the practical aspects of marriage before combining everything as marital property.

    Read More

  • Cohabitation In America Essay

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    Scholars agree that American’s have begun to place higher values on individualism and gratification of personal wants and needs, while also placing less of an importance on the idea of marriage and family (Lee & Payne, 2010). As a result of Americans growing more concerned with living a fulfilling life and the idea of secular individualism, many no longer care about the function marriage may provide to society (Lee & Payne, 2010). The importance of marriage as a social and legal institution has deteriorated as a result of the losses seen in divorce (Lundberg & Pollak, 2015). In contrast, it is argued that the rate of marriage is declining because some American’s place too much emphasis on the importance of marriage (Lee & Payne, 2010).

    Read More

More about The Current State of Marriage

Open Document