Intermarriage In The United States: A Cultural Analysis

divorce rates have never been higher than right now in contemporary society. She explains that

Marriage is a bond made between two people who commit their lives to each other. When a couple gets married, they make an oath to each other to be together for an eternity. A divorce is when you legally end a marriage and the promises made to each other in the marriage ceremony. There are many factors that contributes to the divorce rate in the UK. The divorce rate has changed in the UK over the past 40 years. When a married couple realized that things are getting harder or finds another person who is more attractive than their own partner, they will choose to get divorced. In this essay, I will talk about the divorce rate for the past 30 years and about the possible factors, reasons that affect the divorce rate, in the UK and the possible solution to tackle the problem.

There has been a steady rise in the divorce rate over the past sixty years, which has consistently provided a continuing example of what divorce comprises of. Divorce has been a part of U.S. history since 1639. (M. Schwartz, B. Scott, 2012, p. 390) Regardless of the fact, that does not mean it was

A study of closed societies in which polygamous relationships are practiced demonstrate certain sociological traits. These traits are related to the societies’ ideas concerning the intent and moral goals related to marriage. They are often determined by religious practice and considered to be a requirement for heavenly blessings.

The United States is diverse, in various age, gender, race, and ethnicity as well as other

The world is becoming smaller and cultures are almost merging. Before, transport and communication made it difficult for people to connect. Today, it is a common occurrence to come across people of different races. Because of these cross cultural encounters, many individuals find spouses of different racial heritages.

The United States of America is a country where its foundation was built up by a large diversity of religion and races from all parts of the globe. A major portion of the population

In 2003 by (Teachman, 2003) studies have found an association between premarital cohabitation and increased divorce rate. However, the findings on the effects of cohabitation have shifted (Liefbroer & Dourleijn, 2006). One of the reason’s that there may be a shift may be because in the 1970’s only about 10% of couples lived together before marriage but the figure has risen to about 66%. Even in the United States, studies focusing more on recent marriages also failed to find cohabitation associated with marital instability. (Manning & Cohen, 2012; Reinhold, 2010).

According to Hsu (2001), intercultural marriage is “marriage formed by partners with relatively diverse cultural backgrounds” (p.225). This is prominently seen through the film, in which Toula, a Grecian-American marries Ian Miller, a Caucasian- American. This film depicts the conflict that surrounds this union prior to marriage, such as planning the wedding, navigating the cultural differences and gaining parental approval for the union. Although it is understandable that intercultural marriage comes with far more difficulties than depicted.

Maybe the government is partially to blame for the rise in cohabitation and divorce. In “Cohabitation Instead of Marriage,” Wilson

Manning’s conclusion can be extended to the Millennial generation as a whole and could account for cohabitation differences exhibited by different age groups. Millennials are widely regarded as having less access to secure jobs and less pay in an increasingly competitive and uncertain economy; perhaps the widespread lack socioeconomic resources are preventing younger generations from choosing marriage over cohabitation. This theory would also explain why cohabitation is chosen out of convenience: it is more cost effective and allows for conservation of limited resources. Additionally, large costs of marriages and weddings may be an economic barrier contributing to marriage’s decline.

The Reasons for Changes in the Patterns of Marriage, Cohabitation and Divorce in the last 30 Years

There is vast literature on contemporary marriage and divorce trends, as well as a few that focus directly on the effects of age and marital stability. Such sources include Wilson and Smallwood’s, Age differences at Marriage and divorce

“In the United States, researchers estimate that 40%-50% of all first marriages, and 60% of second marriages, will end in divorce.” (Popenoe 18) A lot of

¨In America, one divorce is finalized approximately every thirty-six seconds. The amount is nearly 2,400 divorces per day, 16,800 divorces per week, and 876,000 divorces per year¨ (Irvin 1). Millennials are more likely to have a divorce than previous generations. 36.6% of women and 38.8% of men aging from twenty to twenty-four end their marriage in divorce, but only 5.1% of women and 6.5% of men aging from thirty-five to thirty-nine end their marriage in divorce. The divorce rate is significantly higher the younger the married couple is. Pop culture can play a significant role in this. Britney Spears and Jason Alexander were only married for fifty-five hours (Irvin 2)! Last year, Angelina Jolie announced that she filed for a divorce from Brad Pitt. Most children look up to these celebrities as role models. If their role models divorce and remarry every other year, the next generations will feel that divorce is acceptable. Not only are celebrities influencing Millennials to divorce but also other factors such as women in the workforce, domestic violence, and a secular society.