Has marriage lost its charm?

In the typical fairly tale, a dashing young prince and a beautiful princess tie the nuptial knot, have children, and live happily ever after. However, in the real world that scenario does not fit the realities of love and marriage in the 21st century. Today, it is just likely that a man and a woman would fall in love and marry. Or they get married when their marriage is arranged by a third party. Then most of the married couples will produce children and live together until death. Some marriages break down due to so many reasons.

Both man and animal procreate to keep the world going. If they did not produce young ones, the world will be depopulated and deserted by living organisms. With the dawn of civilisation man thought if fit to marry a member of the opposite sex and join the process of procreation. Over the centuries, marriage became so entrenched in modern societies that the legal systems in many countries began to recognise it as the basis for the transfer of property rights. For instance, when the husband dies, his wife and children will be entitled to his property.

In the affluent West, households made up of unmarried couples have increased over the past few decades. At the same time, the average age at which marriage takes place is higher than at any time since the turn of the century. These dramatic events suggest the institution of marriage has undergone a sea change from its earlier historical periods.

The institution of marriage is assailed with fierce blows from many fronts. The biggest blow appears to be divorce. The divorce rate in the affluent West has reached dizzy heights, Almost half of all first marriages end up in divorce. The situation in some of The Asian countries is also alarming. For instance, in South Korea the divorce rate quadrupled from 11 percent to 47 percent in the 12-year period that ended in 2002. Even in the Maldives the divorce rate is very high.

When marriages end up in divorce, society will be burdened with single parents, What is more, in most single-parent families, it is the mother, rather than the father, with whom the children reside. Even in Sri Lanka there are many single parent families that threaten the very foundation of marriage.

Although man has been living on this planet for more than 500 million years, marriage as an institution is relatively of recent origin. Today all the religions and the law of the land have recognised marriage as the rule and not as the exception. For that matter, marriage evolved after a long process of trial and error, Until we come up with a better institution, we have to promote and uphold marriage as a sacred bond.

Sometimes the question arises whether it is really necessary to marry to live as a couple. In eastern societies unmarried couples are usually not recognised. The children born to them are treated illegitimate. However, in the developed West men and women live together for some time and then get married. Sometimes, they never get married.

The civilised world recognises marriage as a bond between a man and a woman, Apart from its legal validity, the bond gives them strength to face the vicissitudes of life. Children born to a married couple enjoy a higher degree of recognition than those born out of wedlock. Marriage is recognised as the smallest but the most important entity that sustains human society.

Marriage entails many responsibilities, Mainly the husband is bound to look after his wife and children. In traditional societies the responsibilities are shared by both husband and wife. Until the children grow up into adulthood parents have to provide them with food, clothing and education. Parents attend to these tasks most willingly because they love their children more than anything else. They also know that children are the future citizens of the country.

For some reasons beyond their control, some wives fail to produce children. The question is very often asked whether they should continue to live together as husband and wife. In traditional societies they will continue to live together because of the sanctity of marriage. According to some religions, marriages are made in heaven. It means that marriage is something sacred. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church is against divorce. Even other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism uphold the virtues of marriage.

Due to economic reasons, husbands and wives are sometimes forced to live in two places in the same country or two different countries. Although this is a common occurrence in modern societies, it entails many questions about the children's education and harmony of the family.

With hindsight, I feel marriage no longer has that allure and attraction for the new generation. Some of us who ape the West may consider marriage as an unnecessary burden. Meanwhile, late marriages have become the rule among educated people. Although early marriages are virtuous, it may not be possible for everybody to get married when they are young.