Marriage and divorce - Essay Example

and Lynn Kunz 1995). High risk factors that make marriages prone to divorce include social differences between the partners as well as abuse. Some of these causes may be prevented while some are inherent. Marriage is a lifetime commitment between two parties. It is a social institution, forming a binding contract between spouses in regards to their obligations between them and their relatives. Owing to the fact that it is a social institution, marriages form a broad setup, differing from one culture to the next.

The decision to marry and who to marry largely depends on the cultural and religious beliefs of individuals. According to statistics, marriage institutions in the late twentieth century decreased by 30% (Weastermak 2002). The reasons could be attributed to the fact that more people choose to cohabit rather than to marry. Tough economic times may also prevent men from committing to the marriage institution so as to prevent dowry payment as well as expensive wedding ceremonies. However, due to the administrative laws put in place, as well as legal rights protecting women, some marriage setups are illegal.

These include child and forced marriages, polygamy as well as planned marriages. Other developments include the existence of civil marriages, which does no t recognize the religious fraternity, but rather the rights and obligations outlined by the government. Initially, marriage only involved people of the same gender, but some laws currently allow the union of spouses of similar gender. This development first surfaced in 13 nations in the beginning of the 21C. Other developments include inter racial and interfaith marriage unions.

If well reviewed at the point of initiating marriage, couples remain prepared of what is expected of them to prevent overwhelming instances by marriage challenges. Couples committed into making their marriages work have less chances of