What is Marriage?

Marriage in America comes in all shapes and sizes.  The desire to be committed and attached to another person – like that which comes through matrimony – cuts to the very fabric of the human experience. As a happily married woman, I find the subject of marriage to be fascinating and I was pleased to have the opportunity to provide a series of posts at Urban Times over the past several weeks on the changing state of marriage in America. Below are excerpts of each of the posts, along with links to the full post.

The first post discussed the reasons why Americans are delaying marriage:

“June is the proverbial month of weddings. For many, images of a young bride draped in a billowing cloud of white, on the arm of a dapper gentlemen, come to mind. But weddings and the resulting marriages are changing in all respects, not the least of which is the age at which couples are marrying. Gone are the days of a young couple marrying fresh out of high school, or perhaps college, before starting a family. Nowadays, more and more couples are waiting to tie the knot, choosing instead to cohabitate, obtain additional education, or focus on their career.” [Read full post.]

The second post examined reasons for the declining marriage rate:

“Marriage is so passé. At least, that’s what the statistics will tell you. According to the latest Pew Research Center analysis, released in December 2011, only 51 percent of all adults who are 18 and older are married – a sharp decline from the 57 percent who were married in 2000 and an even sharper contrast to the previous generation when the marriage rate stood at 72 percent in 1960.” [Read full post.]

The third post discussed the increase in number and acceptance of interracial couples:

“Love is blind, or so the poets and philosophers say. Whether the age-old adage has any practical merit or not, it does seem that love is increasingly becoming colorblind. According to the 2010 Census data released earlier this year, more Americans than ever are marrying or cohabitating with someone of a different race.” [Read full post.]

The final and most recent post is a criticism of the lack of marriage equality in America and the hope that this will change with time:

“Not only is marriage is a basic human right, but it is a significant personal commitment that deserves the respect of one’s family, friends, and society. Marriage is about bringing individuals together, creating families, and sharing love – all of which benefit society…When I think about the fact that some states are spending significant time and resources to pass laws and constitutional amendments to deny certain individuals a basic human right – one that promotes love and harms no one – I am in dismay. I am confused, angry, and sad.” [Read full post.]