MARRIAGE AND ITS PROBLEMS

Marriage as a human institution is facing its greatest threat ever in the twentieth century. Never, since the first man and woman were joined together, has the institution been beset by as many problems as it is now. And this trend, which started in the Western World, has spread and is spreading to all parts of the globe.

The most disturbing problem is the high rate of divorce. It is no longer a social stigma for women to fill in forms indicating that they are divorced; men. too, proclaim their liberty from the shackles of matrimony somehow with pride. Little wonder that young couples resort to separation and eventually divorce. at the slightest disagreement.

The availability of an alternative aggravates the seriousness of the problem. Instead of entering into matrimony, very many Qcouples simply decide to live together. Even the courts now recognize such common law marriages, and respect the rights of partners in such associations. The great advantage this accords the partners is the fluidity of the association, the ease with which one or both can call off the union.

Besides, very many countries now enact laws that recognize the rights of children born out of wedlock. This singular factor has helped to shoot up the number of such children in many civilized communities. A recent survey in an urban college shows that about forty percent of the students were born out of wedlock.

Not less among the factors hastening the death of the marriage institution is the progressively rising cost of living.

Nowadays, it is essential for both partners to be gainfully employed to be sure of a reasonable decent level of existence. The marriage ceremony itself costs so much that the young men simply remain single, raising one or two children from ladies who themselves are often willing collaborators against the institution of marriage.