Challenges and Benefits of Marriage in the 21st Century

Marriage in the 21st Century
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Marriage in the 21st Century
Introduction
Marriage is an old tradition that is practised around the world. Dictionary.com defines marriage as “any of the diverse forms of interpersonal union established in various parts of the world to form a familial bond that is recognized legally, religiously, or socially, granting the participating partners mutual conjugal rights and responsibilities and including, for example, opposite-sex marriage, same-sex marriage, plural marriage, and arranged marriage.” From the above, one gathers it is a union between people and one that is recognized and accepted in the world. The idea of marriage started a long time ago, but like every other aspect of life, modern marriage has changed. Today, same-sex marriages are widely accepted in numerous societies. However, in the past, professing one’s love for a person of the same sex was considered a sin by some people or a mental disorder by others. But, today, the idea of same-sex marriage has been normalized and people are slowly accepting this change. Life has also changed from the way it used to be and some of these changes influence the union of marriage. This article, therefore, seeks to showcase how marriage rates have changed and to offer a discussion of the challenges, choices, privileges/benefits, and the effect of the changes in ethnic makeup on marriage.
How marriage rates have changed
As already indicated, marriage has undergone several changes. One major change that affected marriage was the ruling that was made in June 2015 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Vogue and Diamond (2015) write that the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, ruled in favor of same-sex marriage. At this point, the U.S. became the first nation in the world to consent to the idea of same-sex marriage. However, even with such news, the U.S. continues to experience a decline in the marriage rate. Brolley (2018) notes that “from just the ‘70s, the marriage rate has fallen by a staggering 60 percent.” Divorces also been declining, but this can be attributed to low marriage rates. However, Wood (2018) refutes the above statement noting that “the 18% fall in divorces between 2008 (when ACS began collecting data) and 2016 isn’t merely a consequence of fewer marriages.” He continues to say that “the implication is that contemporary unions are lasting longer than those of 10 years ago.” Apparently, millennials are finding ways to make their marriages last longer. It remains to be seen whether this trend will continue and the percentage of married couples making up American households increase from its current rate of 48% to highs of 78% like it was in 1960 (CBS, 2017).
The difficulties associated with transitioning into married life
Transitioning into married life can be difficult. One such difficulty involves finances. While single or dating, one’s money is theirs. However, in marriage, the statement “what is mine is yours” becomes reality. For some people, this can be difficult especially if they are paid more than their partners. A lack of communication can also be another difficulty that one faces as they transition into married ...