A fascinating article appears in this quarter’s issue of Family Law Quarterly, published by the American Bar Association. A British scholar analyzes the reasons why people get married. The reasons can be categorized as follows:
- Compliance with convention-in other words, society expects people to get married.
- External manifestation of an internal state-in other words, a public celebration.
- Symbolic confirmation of the completion of an internal process-in other words, it’s time to take the relationship to the ‘next level.’
- Provision of a framework in which an internal process is expected to develop-in other words, we’re going to have kids, so we should be married.
- Achievement of pragmatic objectives-in other words, extension of health insurance benefits or other advantages conveyed upon married people.
Interestingly, the one word that only occasionally appeared among the responses in the survey study was ‘love.’ People seem to understand and accept that a couple can be in love without getting married, and for some marriage seems to be unnecessary.
Perhaps if we spend some time studying why people decide to get married, we will better understand why people decide to divorce. We may learn a few things that could help us reduce the number of divorces and the impacts that divorces have on emotions, finances and more.
Source for Post Indiana Family Law.
