My parents have been together for 30 years now and certainly don’t look like they would be growing apart anytime soon. I have also been privileged to come across older couples who have been together all their lives.
As the prolific richq11 put it in one statement he made concerning infidelity marriages back in the day were for better or worse. Vows were not just poem recitations, people actually lived by them.
Much has changed in the World. One of the most important change was the introduction of the ‘No fault divorce' laws in the 1970s to the USA.
Before the 20th century, courts would not allow a divorce decree unless it could be proven that one spouse was at fault for abandonment, cruelty, mental illness, or adultery. During the 1960s when feminism was just gaining ground, the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act was passed, which allowed for a no-fault divorce.
What was probably seen as a move to empower women (as a lot of people who sought divorce prior were wealthy men) opened Pandora’s box for joke marriages.
Entertainment Culture and Divorce
The changing entertainment scene that seemed to portray divorced couples or couples going through a divorce may have also largely influenced our value systems till this day. It became acceptable to opt apt at the slightest feeling of unhappiness or unsatisfaction. It also did not help that some publicized celebrity marriages were over in the twinkle of an eye (anyone remember a certain sweetheart who got married for less than 2 days a decade ago?)
Money
I also wonder if financial inducements spur marriages and hasten divorces. No doubt there are those lured by the love of money on both sexes, and highly lucrative settlement offers are not uncommon in divorce proceedings.
Acceptable Grounds for Divorce
Now I have never been married, so I am not speaking from experience, and I have dated a couple of times and ended things for less than ‘acceptable’ reasons so I am definitely not perfect but I view marriage as a commitment that shouldn’t merely be of convenience. I may not be the best judge of what is acceptable and what isn’t but I believe couples should hold themselves to higher standards once those vows are taken.
I would love to get the opinions of everyone who takes their precious time to read my rant so I get a better view on whether it is merely wishful thinking to see more marriages together.