We are the victims of the fickle, instant gratification lifestyle that we created. If something isn’t perfect, it’s quick and easy to remove it from our lives, including our marriages.
The “starter marriage” is becoming more and more common. An article printed in 2007 in Marie Claire magazine discusses how marriage has changed. A woman interviewed boldly states, “I think marriage is the new dating … I wouldn’t have married him if I didn’t think I could get out of it.” This cavalier attitude about marriage is apparent in the ever growing divorce rates worldwide.
No fault divorce laws originated in California in 1970 and quickly spread to other states. The divorce rate then increased in all states except for Oklahoma, Nevada, Arkansas, Illinois, and Utah. This can be shown by the 17 percent increase in divorce rates from 1968 to 1988.
This jump in divorce is still impacting society today. A study that tracked two generations found that children of divorce are twice as likely to divorce as are the children of continuously married parents. When a child’s parents are divorced, they doubt the durability of marital relations. They are ready to run when things get hard in their own relationships.
But is running from marriage because of a few unhappy months worth the heartache and trouble? Not usually.
“Two-thirds of unhappily married spouses who stay married reported that their marriages improved within five years. The most unhappy marriages report the most dramatic turnarounds: among those who rated their marriages as “very unhappy,” almost eight out of 10 who avoided divorce are happily married five years later.”
The current divorce rate in America for first marriages is around forty percent. The ever increasing divorce rates are proof of the degeneration of the family. For more social science facts on divorce please refer to the United Families Issue Guide: Divorce
Wedding vows state “for better or for worse,” now it is time for us to live up to our commitments.