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Why Is Marriage Viewed More Negatively Today?

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After reading chapter five on the topic of Cohabitation, I was left with a variety of different thoughts and questions on the topic and was mostly just trying to sift through my own personal beliefs as well as the information that we have been presented in this chapter and the variety of different research studies that have been done on the topic. The question I decided to pursue for my thought paper was relatively broad, but yet something that I couldn’t seem to stop asking my self, which was: “Why is marriage viewed more negatively today?” and often as a second choice following cohabitation?”
When thinking about this question a variety of different answers came to mind. Automatically, I referred to the concept of divorce and how prevalent …show more content…

Generation Y is typically defined as a more selfish generation: wanting to fulfill our own needs therefore does not see marriage as something that is of need. There has been a rise in more people fulfilling their careers first and if choosing to marry it is much later than normal. Does this have to do with marriage being viewed as something that holds someone back, or ties them down? Perhaps, and if this is the case then maybe this could also be another reason marriage is looked upon more negatively; it takes a lot of time, and a lot of effort that simply just doesn’t fit into a busy schedule. With cohabitation becoming more socially acceptable in this generation, it is often seen as a more self-satisfying alternative to marriage. Today cohabitation seems to be a win-win scenario as a test for a future relationship while being a stepping-stone to marriage. What happens in these cohabiting relationships is poorer quality relationships are formed to “see how things will work out” as opposed to a formal commitment and dedication to one another, which means that when these relationships dissolve and you begin another relationship in the future, you enter your next relationship with more skepticism which could be what is pushing the thought of marriage further and further …show more content…

Our society is viewing things different and is every changing in these views, while the traditional concept of marriage remains basically the same. So why is marriage viewed so negatively now? I believe it’s due to a combination of many social and cultural changes that our society is experiencing. With cohabitation being viewed as a stepping-stone towards marriage, I do still that that marriage is something that is still highly regarded. The only problem being that the outcome for couples that cohabit and then proceed to wed is typically negative, therefore also resulting in a negative view of marriage. So I think we can take this information in one of two ways. We could continue to view marriage negatively and proceed with short-lived, unhappy relationships through cohabitation, or use this research to help find a way to help make relationships better. My thoughts toward this topic is that our generation will continue to seek self gratification, until we hit a point where we realize there is more to a relationship than fulfilling our own needs and realize that marriage isn’t what should be viewed as negatively, but instead, how we go about relationships should be viewed

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As a psychologist, Neil claims that people should be alarmed over the social changed of cohabitation. He then tells the reader that there are only two reasons couple cohabitate. First, the couple wants to the enjoy the benefits of living together, such as financial resources, sex, etc. or they want to use it as a trail marriage. A premise he makes is that those who are married without cohabitation have a lower divorce rate rather than those who have cohabitation before their marriage.

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When a couple decides to cohabitate it is sometimes because they decide it is the best way to test if a relationship is going to work or not. Other times, couples agree on cohabitation over marriage because they believe they do not need a government document to officiate the love they have for each other and they believe they will still get the “happy ever after” they want. In some case, that is not always what happens due to various circumstances. Unfortunately, statistics show that forty percent of couples who cohabit, end their relationship before marriage; couples who live together before marriage are almost twice as likely to divorce as compared to those couples who don’t live together before marriage (Davis). Most of the time couples discover new things about their significant other that may bother them and can result in doubt on whether that person is their one true pairing.

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Some view it as a step prior to marriage, while others view it as a practical alternative . There has been a significant increase in the percentage of cohabiting couples; as stated by the 2001 census, the rate of cohabitants has increased by 67% in the last 10 years, as per the Law Commission Report 307 (2007) cohabitation is ‘’expected to become more prevalent in the future’’. It was also stated in the report that according to the British Social Attitudes Survey 2000, the public’s view on cohabitation is affirmative, with 67% of respondents approving that it is ‘’alright for a couple to live together without intending to get married’’

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He notes that there are several other reasons for marriage that are “critical to the functioning of a humane and stable society” (Rauch, “For Better or Worse,” p. 22). Rauch provides two potential candidates for the purpose of marriage, which are: “domesticating men and providing reliable caregivers” (Rauch, “For Better or Worse,” p. 22). He explains that society’s biggest issue is civilizing young men. Since marriage stabilizes men, Rauch says, it (marriage) has the ability to settle men and reduce the chances of young men participating in reckless behavior. The second purpose of marriage is to provide reliable caregivers when “someone is beset by some sort of burdensome contingency” (Rauch, “For Better or Worse,” p. 22).

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In our complex society there are relationships that succeed and comparably many that do not. With that being said, a successful marriage is a commitment between two people who chose to love, respect, understand each other, and are willing to put forth the efforts that is needed to reach their shared goals, while they grow and improve individually. Stephanie Coontz (2006) portrays that, “For a couple to live happily ever after, they must love each other. She goes on to say that, “Each must make the partner the top priority in life” (p. 20). As a result, there are some key components that couples should focus on and even make them a priority in order to maintain a healthy relationship.

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Sometimes family members disagree and choose to remove themselves. Cohabiters tend to have a less contact with their children (Gibson, 2017). Their relationship with their sons and daughters sometimes suffer, according to a report from Matthew Wright, a doctoral sociology student studying at Bowling Green State University (Gibson, 2017). He also added that cohabiters have a less positive relationship with their adult children compared to those widowed parents and married couples (Gibson, 2017). For couples that choose to stay unwed, one fear surrounds the loss of their pension and social security benefits.

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From the beginning, we grow up with the goal of marriage. We think of marriage as a happy relationship balanced with both parties putting in effort. In reality, this is quite different with imbalance, gender roles, and societal norms being present in marriage. In a modern society, most people want a balanced marriage with the household duties split. The wife doesn't want to be responsible for the household duties, as much as the husband doesn't want to hold all the financial responsibility.

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In his book Media, Gender and Identity, Gauntlett argues that the rise in divorce rates could be a clear indication that people who are no longer happy with their partner or their sex life are making the decision to end the marriage, he also argues that the institution of marriage itself is in decline, believing that people are influenced by the modern day messages in the media that promote self-fulfilment as being a priority (Gauntlett, D., pp.

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This insinuates roughly 50% of marriages will end in divorce. Yikes. Are we doomed to abide by this depressing statistic, or can we be the generation to change this? Married couples battle against a society that promotes the idea that everything, including one’s relationship, is replaceable. Staying happy, content, and committed in a marriage that

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Currently, 60% of all marriages are preceded by cohabitation, but fewer than half of cohabiting unions end in marriage.” It is not my place to take away someone’s happiness. If couples are embracing the idea of cohabitation for their own benefit, it is completely their choice. Some couples choose to live together to know and understand their partner before getting married. However, the most reasons for living together include convenience, financial savings, companionship and security, and a desire to move out

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Marriage is dictionary defined as “the legally or formally recognized union of a man and a woman (or, in some jurisdictions, two people of the same sex) as partners in a relationship,”(Merriam-Webster). This alliance happens to be one of the most complex topics because of one reason, the taking of two independent people, putting them in a home and asking them to live one combined life. This is difficult for most people, but there are people who make it work. That is why society has shaped marriage into two categories, a positive healthy marriage, and a negative unhealthy marriage. This alliance, as I view it, is much like building a skyscraper.

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Another reason people get married is to be able to live together, because it used to be socially unacceptable to live together if you weren 't married. But nowadays, people are encouraged to live together before marriage, to make sure that they can live together before making a commitment. So now there is less urgency to get married and move in together, because chances are, you’re probably already

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A. An article from The New York Times titled “Should Couples Live Together Before Marriage?” describe that pre-marital cohabitation results from the thinking that 1. Couples will have a “test drive” of the marriage – the problem with this is that the couple goes into the relationship thinking that if it doesn’t work out it can easily be ended rather than working at it to make it successful. 2. They will get used to sharing space with their partner and have a more equal division of household labor. 3.

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