While marriage is still considered an important institution, people seem unable to do what it takes to make it a success. The consequences of divorce are quite painful and can leave behind scars that never really go away. Dysfunctional relationships result in some people marrying even three or four times and still not being able to make it work. The high divorce rates are posing a threat to the institution of marriage.

Liberation of Women

In western countries, more than anywhere else, women have come a long way. The whole women’s liberation movement has seen women become equal players with men in every aspect of life. The modern woman is self-assured and independent. In the days of yore, women were both financially and emotionally dependent on their spouses. Very rarely did they play an active role in any decision making process. Therefore, when the marriage was in trouble or they were meted out with unfair treatment, they seldom had the resources and confidence to walk out.

In today’s times, women do not feel the need to suffer a bad marriage. If they are in a truly unhappy situation, they have the means and the confidence to walk out and start life afresh. Another aspect of women’s liberation is that with both spouses pursuing active careers, there seems less time to give to the marriage. Eventually, the relationship suffers and divorce becomes the only way out.

Relaxed Divorce Laws

The heir to the British throne is divorced and married again. This should give one an idea of how relaxed divorce laws have become. Earlier, religion and social dictates influenced divorce laws greatly. However, with time this external influence has been relaxed. Since people had voiced strong opinions that they should be allowed to end a marriage they were not happy with, the law has, in course of time, given in to this demand. Relaxed divorce laws have made it easy for couples to get divorced and, therefore, people prefer to get divorced than stick with a troubled marriage.

Social Acceptability of Divorce

There was a time when divorce was frowned upon. When a couple did get divorced, it created a big stir and was the talk of the town. There was a huge stigma attached to getting divorced, especially for women. Many times, a divorced woman was considered to have loose morals. Many couples stuck on in an unhappy situation because they didn’t want to face society frowning upon them.

The current day situation is vastly different. Divorce is an accepted occurrence and divorced people carry on regular lives with little or no stigma attached. Social acceptance of divorce has made it much easier for couples to separate and go their own ways. Even children from divorced marriages do not feel as isolated as before as single parenthood has become an increasing trend.

Remarriage

Earlier, even if a person managed to get divorced, remarriage was difficult and it was difficult to establish a new relationship. The fear of a lonely future also kept couples together even if they were not really happy. However, remarriage has become easy and dating post-divorce is an accepted part of moving on. Therefore, if a person falls in love with someone else, divorce becomes a viable option. If two people are not compatible, they prefer to get divorced and start afresh with someone new. Even divorced women have equal opportunity to date single men and have a relationship.

Individualism

The rise of individualism has played a big role in the increasing rate of divorce. Current generations believe in instant gratification and do not want to work long and hard to make a marriage work. Compromise and adaptability do not fit into an individualistic lifestyle. People are finding it increasingly harder to think as a couple and meet each other half-way. If something is not going their way, they prefer to move on rather than compromise. The very concept of marriage depends on adaptability and two halves making a whole. Individualism makes it extremely difficult to conform to the expectations of marriage.

Conclusion

It would be premature to write off marriage as an archaic institution. It is still the most universally accepted union of two people. Changing lifestyles and social mores have resulted in high divorce rates. However, with time, it is possible for people to get used to these changes and work around them to have successful marriages.