While the institution of marriage gets redefined with each generation despite adherence to the same laws and principles, familiar problems rooted in their fears and doubts still plague couples. One can observe that marriage rates have dropped and divorce rates have dropped further, but the number of unhappy marriages still remains staggeringly high. Additionally, new trends have emerged in marriage, that seem risky and dangerous::
- Connection versus Commitment: Traditionally, the commitment to a marriage was seen as a precursor to establishing a connection. Then the millenial came along. It certainly qualified as the more logical and successful approach. While couples are more empathetic to each other at the start of a relationship, their desire for connections can also make them less forgiving.
- Unwillingness to Compromise: Individuals today want to proactively serve the needs and desires of their partner, but are very uptight when it comes to compromising on their own requirements. Any such compromise is viewed as surrender and a loss of identity which the individual tries to protect it. Asking partners for help is easy, but asking them to sacrifice a choice is becoming exceedingly difficult.
- Over-saturated Choices and Indecision: Social media, dating apps, bustling nightlife, and the introduction of fun in the work environment, all add up to a lot of choices when it comes to selecting life partners. These choices do not go away after marriage and all they need is the slightest of doubts to impose themselves on any individual. The growing trend is hence that of indecisive couples who neither end, nor mend their relationship, often dragging it in limbo.
- Perceiving Marriage as a Status Symbol: Since, most individuals today only get married when they are financially and emotionally prepared for it, when they start seeing it as a status symbol, they get entrapped in the same detrimental ulterior motives that plagued marriages of the previous generations.
One can undoubtedly say that the human tendency to foster fears and doubts reinvents problems to trouble marriages in ways no different than the struggles of previous generations.