Marriage is not the institution it once was, but that doesn’t mean there is no place for it in today’s society. I believe in the institution of marriage, but my opinion may be slightly biased due to the fact my parents have been happily married for twenty-eight years. I feel my brother and I have benefited from the permanent presence and support of two loving parents.


There has been a steady decline in marriages since the sixties. There were 267,303 marriages in 1998 compared with 437,000 in 1966 according to the Office for National Statistics. Marriage expectations have increased in today’s society where the role of women has changed and they no longer have to rely on their husbands for income. Today we regard the value of the relationship rather more than the practicalities of it such as sex and money. Religion no longer plays the part in society it once used to with its’ rule that sex before marriage is wrong. Marriage, in many religions such as Catholicism, is mainly for procreation and unmarried mothers were shunned by society. The developments of birth control meant women could control over their destiny, they could have careers and postpone having children. Society has changed and there seems to be no need any longer for such an institution

Marriage is not as permanent as it once was. Twenty-six years ago The Divorce Reform Act was born out of social change and now, according to statistics I obtained from the research group One Plus One 4 out of 10 marriages in England and Wales end in divorce. This is the sixth highest divorce rate in the world and it is rising. Before 1969 adultery, cruelty and dissertion were stated as reason for divorce and you had to have evidence of fault. Today you can have a ‘quickie’ divorce in a few months. It is much easier to get a divorce these days. The fact that it is easier to escape weakens this once strong institution and adds to the debate that it is not as strong a
s it once was and is slightly outdated.

Relate states the strong couple and family relationships are the basis of a healthy and productive society.

A recent survey revealed that marriage is best for bringing up children. The survey was a seven year study by The Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex. They found that almost three-quarters of married couples stayed together until their children had grown up. It said 70% of marriages lasted until sons and daughters reached sixteen years of age, compared with 36% of people who cohabit. This research disproves many people’s theories that living together is just like ‘marriage without the vows’ and they don’t need a piece of paper to prove their commitment to each other. The very nature of a cohabiting relationship is temporary and very few, in fact fewer than 20% of couples, stay together for longer than five years. This is bad news for children in these relationships as they are more likely to end up in broken homes.

This survey comes at a time when living together has become the norm and there is no longer a stigma attached to it in today’s society. These figures, however, do not reveal whether these marriages were happy or violent and abusive. People may have stayed in a marriage just for the sake of the children and may have suffered as a result of this. The fact that people who are married have stronger legal claims, which is the ability to have financial claiming power over their ex partners, may put people off marriage. What is the point of getting married, if something goes wrong and you end up losing your life savings in the divorce courts. Petronella Wyatt’s sentiments in The Daily Telegraph 29th March 1997, echo those of many modern day women that the single life is best. According to her article a government survey at that time six out of ten women aged 16-40 preferred to persue a single life. She states that marriag
e not only ‘reduces a woman’s independence’ but also ‘imprisons her in the house to perform a thousand dreary tasks unworthy of her talent’. She also points out that the argument of morality campaigners is fundamentally flawed. She states that 60% of single parents are divorced separated and almost all of her friend who are married are seeking a divorce or a separation.

Dissatisfaction with the institute of marriage stems from the fact that women have greater freedom and independence women have in today’s society and the fact they no longer depend on their husbands for financial security. In a survey by One Plus One, the pro marriage group, in 1994 only 24% of people surveyed thought it was a husband’s job to go out and earn the money while the wife stayed at home compared with 43% in 1948. I feel Petronella’s opinion of marriage is a harsh one. This was probably true fifty years ago, but women today often juggle successfully careers and a family. Cherie Blair is a fine example of this, ‘using her brain’ as a high-flying barrister whilst bringing up her four children.

Marriage can seem ‘out dated’ as there isn’t the need to anymore, for financial and religious reasons, but people still do it. People still like the image of a big white wedding and partake in the ceremony regardless of religious views. I feel there will always be marriages, it is such big business these days, but like in the past it won’t always be for the right reasons.

I am 24 and yet to have a serious relationship with anyone due to acute social phobia from which I am recovering. However, I believe that I would like to marry one day, particularly if I have children, because I have seen how well it has worked for my parents. Their marriage has had a positive effect on my brother and I and we have benefitted from their stable relationship.