Marriage Shmarriage
Newsweek recently had a feature called Marriage Reconsidered. It’s fascinating and made me think. One article, entitled I Don’t is a case against marriage and cites some pretty staggering numbers. The authors, both women, state a distrust for, a disinterest in, and plainly a lack of need for the “broken” institution itself. Pavblog, who sent me the article, outlines some of the stats:
-75% of 18-34 year old men believe marriage is a necessary institution compared to 63% of women
-In 2008, 41% of American births occurred outside marriage (the highest figure ever recorded).
-Some anthropologists believe that humans aren’t meant to be together forever, but rather exist in a series of short-term, monogamous relationships of 3-4 years.
-Texas is home to more thrice-married adults than any other state, and 1 in 5 U.S. marriages dissolves within 5 years.
-94% of singles in their 20s describe that what they’re looking for in a partner is a “soulmate.”
- Men, not women, are happier when they are married.
- 72% of married women say they’ve considered leaving their marriage.
- Measurements of brain activity show that after 20 years into marriage, 90% of couples have lost the passion they originally felt. Couples who marry for love are less in love with each passing year, but those in arranged marriages grow steadily more in love as the years progress—because their expectations, say researchers, are a whole lot lower.
On the brighter side (or perhaps more irrational and crazy-in-love side), I Do. Here’s Why. and I Do, Too are arguments in favor of marriage from a future bride’s and future groom’s perspective. And on the even brighter side, two of my best friends got married this weekend and it was simply beautiful.
