I think it's just becoming harder for people to get married with all the options they have. I don't think it will ever go away. There will always be marriages. I don't think that people who are not married and are heading a household are bad people, perhaps life's circumstances just didn't agree with them. There have been so many times in my life where I wanted to have something happen a certain way, only for it to fall apart. I have become accustomed to doing things on my own and having to make alternate plans. Not every person plans to be a single parent, it's hard work. I commend anyone who does it because it's not easy.
But I am being careful with who I choose to date. I make sure they are a decent person, not someone who will just up and leave. Now there are no guarantees. Once I get pregnant when I decide to have kids, my husband could just up and leave. I guess we just have to realize that relationships take a lot of work. I think the major problem is that people jump into things so fast, and then give up because they feel like there is too much to unravel. That's at least part of the issue. There are a lot of factors playing into it. But I do agree with you, there are people who are just choosing not to get married. But I don't think it will go away entirely.
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No, I don't think so. I personally would never combine my assets and have children with someone I wasn't married to. That little piece of paper makes me feel secure and stable, and is an assurance that both of us will work harder at the relationship than if we weren't married. A lot of women won't give up marriage, but a lot of guys won't either. Whether they will admit it or not, it's makes them feel secure too. It brings a family together with stability. I read a poll on askmen.com in which over 80% of guys said they agree with the institution of marriage and will work to support it.
This is a very interesting and relevant question that you bring up. Let me answer it from a man's point of view.
From the Rutgers report the top three reasons why men do not want to marry are:
1. They can easily get sex without marriage.
2. They can enjoy "a wife" through cohabitation.
3. They want to avoid divorce and its devastating financial risks.
"One in two marriages will fail with the wife being twice as likely to initiate the proceedings on grounds of "general discontent" — the minimum requirement of no-fault divorce. The odds of the woman receiving custody of children are overwhelming, with many fathers effectively being denied visitation. The wife usually keeps the "family" assets and, perhaps, receives alimony as well as child support. Many men confront continuing poverty to pay for the former marriage. Over five million divorced men in America are currently experiencing the situation I just outlined. Without a doubt, their stories and experiences are heard by unmarried men. Can anyone truly blame the men for having apprehension?"
Read more: link
Take a look at this awesome Fox news article that discusses this is a lot more detail: link
I don’t think marriage will ever go away, but I do think it will become less and less prevalent.
There are so many factors we could debate this issue for weeks and never settle on it.
It is not morally valued as it once was.
FWB’s becoming more prevalent destroy incentives for marriage
Punishing the higher earning partner in the marriage makes marriage risky.
Failure of the courts to honor prenuptial agreements.
Incentivizing single parenthood through welfare programs.
Incentivizing single parenthood through forced child support. Aka the other person didn’t want to have the kid courts force them to pay regardless.
I also personally think parents are putting their children & careers first above the relationship. The relationship should be your #1 priority.
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marriage is the cornerstone of civilization. It will never go away. People do have a different outlook on it now though, its less pertinent to get married today because of love, uniting families, pooled wealth etc. and mostly done for financial reasons and other benefits more than anything.
Depends if it can cast off its religious vestiges and connotations. It's that that makes it seem old fashioned and irrelevant.
As a public statement of 'together forever', and for legal ease, I may still consider getting married. I don't think it has any intrinsic value though.i doubt it, its been around for 1000's of years so I doubt it will ever disappear but I think it will be more common to not get married
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