The Value of Marriage: Is it Changing?
There’s a saying that everything changes with time. Looking at the past and the present is a good example of that. The way things were done then and the way they are done now has been changed dramatically so that they can fit into society. Just as things have been changed to fit into the society we live in today, we, as individuals have also been changed to adapt to these changes occurring in our society. An example of this is clearly evident in the change in our values, especially towards marriage. Today, couples do not value the sanctity of marriage as in the past. This is clearly reflected through the lessening of religious influence in marriages, the increase in cohabitation and divorce.
In the past, marriages were seen as a covenant before God to bring two people together. Today, however, the religious aspect is largely missing in the institution of marriages and this is simply why it is not valued as much as it was in the past. It has become more of an individual’s choice, in which religion is not really regarded with as much importance. Personally I feel the reason for this is simply due to liberalization. In the past, there was no such thing as equality. In a sense, that was partly why couples valued marriage so much in the past. Since women had few rights, they had to rely on the men to support them, and thus considered it their duty to make the marriage work in any case. Whereas today, women put more emphasis on rights rather than duties. Since they have acquired the rights in almost every aspect of life, they know they don’t have to rely on the men for support as in the past. Such liberal views have caused many to view marriage as not a permanent commitment because they now have the right to freely walk away from marriage anytime they want. I am not trying to imply that women having equal rights is a negative thing but the notion of equality has raised the expectations of people in marriages, causing them to lose the value of marriage. (This sounds gay).