Trial marriages in America - Essay Example

Trial Marriages in America With the increased rates of divorce and instability trends in marriages, many people fear committing themselves into a lifetime union with a partner whom they are not sure whether they can live together for long. Therefore, “trial alternative” for marriage has increasingly gained popularity among the Americans. Trail marriage can be defined as an arrangement where couples test for their compatibility and sustainability for a real marriage by living together for a period of time.

Several factors have led the upsurge of trial marriages in the American society. To start with, marriages are no longer valued in the society as it used to be in the early days. According to the Gospel Coalition, marriage is no longer the basis in which couples build future prospects for happiness and success (2014). This is true because it is a normal occurrence where individuals openly declare that they can only marry if they are financially or even psychologically independent. On the other hand, high rates of divorce in the existing American marriages have also contributed to the popularity of trial marriages.

Currently, the U.S has the highest divorce rates in the world “with upwards of 45% of marriages expected to end through divorce” (Bowling Green State University n.d). As a result, many young adults feel that they should test whether they can comfortably live with their partners before formalizing the marriage in order to reduce the chances of ending up in divorce. Lastly, the decline in the number of children present in families has also reduced the importance of marriage in preference of cohabitation.

Many American women give birth to children before the prime marriage age making them to be committed in child upbringing. Further, American couples are less likely to put children in their life consideration hence reducing the importance of the union since children increase the chances of couples to stay together. According to the Gospel Coalition, “in 2011, only 32 percent of households included children” (2014). This signifies how American couples are less concerned in making a family and prefer companionship instead.

In conclusion, trial marriages among Americans have been promoted by the underlying issues in the society such as divorce and self-centeredness where partners are not willing to sacrifice their desires in order to make marriages successful. However, it is important for people to know that test marriages are not a solution to the problems since couples cohabiting together are less likely to be committed and may end up in divorce. ReferencesBowling Green State University n.d, Divorce in Middle and Later Life: New Estimates from the 2009 American Community Survey, retrieved 14 April 2014, < http://www2.bgsu.edu/downloads/cas/file94173.pdf>. The Gospel Coalition 2014, 9 Things You Should Know About Marriage in America, retrieved 14 April 2014, < http://thegospelcoalition.

org/blogs/tgc/2014/02/10/9-things-you-should-know-about-marriage-in-america/>.