The History of Marriage and Family is Changing Essay

The History of Marriage and Family is Changing Things have changed a great deal from the Puritanical beliefs integrated long ago that said people must have a license in order to live together. Now, blended families are commonplace and marriages between people of the same sex are a reality. The history of marriage and family is actually filled with a variety of thought quite foreign to say, the average American. Marriage was often an agreement of practicality, arranged to provide a linkage between family fortunes. The film Titanic exemplifies this type of thinking even as late as the turn of the century. Thus, it is only in relatively recent history that marriage has been looked at in terms of romance. Although throughout the†¦show more content†¦In fact, Fisher found that even though the number of American couples living together tripled in the seventies, the peak year for divorce among married couples remained the same (312). Living together may have some effect on an impending marriage. Of course, the obvious effect would be that the couple realizes that they are not right for each other, or marriage is not right for them, and they would not marry at all. There are also those relationships that seem to go on endlessly and never culminate in a commitment, even though one party or another want to make things official. Cohabiting prior to marriage would likely not have much of a positive or negative effect in today’s society because the actual relationship would stay the same regardless of the living arrangements. If any effect would be noticeable at all, it would be the effect on the children the couple have or would have in the future of the relationship. Statistics show that the number of children living in families with married couples declined from 88% (Furstenberg 34) in 1960 to 69% (34) in 1994. Divorce does explain the drop to some extent, but much of the change may be attributed to the rise in nonmarital childbearing (34). Births occurring out of wedlock went from a mere 5% (34) in 1960 to 31% (34) in 1993. Some of these have occurred among couples who are living together; however, the vast majority of these babies were born to single parents (34). Thus, when people live together it should notShow MoreRelatedThe American Concept Of Marriage1140 Words   |  5 PagesThe American concept of marriage foundation has been a foundation for human civilization for centuries. Likewise, forty-one American states revere matrimony laws of Moses between man and woman. However, the concept of marriage for Americans is under review by the United States Supreme Court. Citizens interested in changing the Law of Moses will present their purpos e and reason challenging the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. 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