Today, people are free to leave marriages any time they want. That wasn't the case in the past. Societal expectations and obligations were very different. Also, people didn't live as long and therefore there wasn't as much time to 'grow apart' like many couples now do. Additionally, divorcing role-models are everywhere: movie stars, sports stars, rock stars, world leaders, even our own family members. In fact, the divorce rate is so high, it's difficult to argue that marriage as we know it will continue to survive over the next century or two. Like it or not, marriage must either adapt or fade away a little bit at a time.
The reality is that the more freedom we have to do what we want with our lives, the less time and energy we're going to dedicate to things that do not please us. This is includes being in a bad marriage - and most marriages are bad at some point or another. The only question is, how long will a person wait before throwing in the towel.
Ignoring obvious social changes like wage equality between men and women and a greater ability for women to provide for themselves, one might say that marriage really only works two ways:
- People remain in love and therefore stay together instead of splitting as time goes on.
- People are forced together by family or other obligations.
The former is in the minority.
The bottom line: society needs news ideas to save marriage. Marriage as an institution will continue to erode without meaningful adaptation to today's reality. The world is evolving and marriage is either going to come along or be left behind.!!!
