Traditional marriages and emerging alternatives

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"Today, I think we have all learned that there are few things more marvellous than an Autumn wedding, and nothing more beautiful than a Fall bride. It is wonderful occasions like this that provide us all with great memories that we will never, ever forget, and I am incredibly honoured to have been of part of this special day. Also, I want to thank you for getting married at this time of the year, because now, whenever I see the leaves turning colour and falling off the trees, I’ll be reminded that it’s time to buy your anniversary gift."

Half of all marriages ended in divorce in 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A traditional marriage is between a man and a woman and legally binds the couple together financially. Women assume their husbands' last names in traditional marriages, and some struggle with being assigned the couple's domestic duties, such as keeping house and raising children. The feminist movement inspired changes in the ways husbands and wives relate, and other social factors have encouraged couples to seek alternative arrangements that better satisfy their needs than traditional marriage.

1. Cohabitation

   • According to the U.S. Census, 6.4 million unmarried couples, or 10 percent of all opposite-sex American couples, lived together in 2007. In the late 1970s, that number was less than a million. Some of these cohabitating couples eventually get married, but others purposely eschew the tradition and choose to remain unmarried. Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who have been a couple since 2005 and have six children together, are the gold standard of the unmarried, cohabitating, co-parenting couple.

   Domestic Partnership

   • Couples may establish their relationships, as legal, by registering as domestic partners in the states that offer the option, which include California, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Nevada and Washington. Each state has its own requirements for domestic partnership, with some extending almost all of the same rights and benefits to domestic partners as they do to married couples.

   Same-sex Marriage

   • Same-sex marriage is currently legal in Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. The legality of same-sex marriage is under judicial review in California, where voters in 2008 overturned same-sex marriage rights that had been extended to couples. A San Francisco judge ruled in 2010 that Proposition 8, the ballot initiative in question, was unconstitutional- his decision has been appealed, and the case is still pending as of 2011. Proponents of same-sex marriage advocate for equal rights for everyone who would like to marry and to ensure access to health insurance and other benefits that married couples enjoy. Opponents argue that marriage is meant for opposite-sex couples only.

   Open Marriage and Polyamory

   • For those who believe in marriage but not monogamy, open marriage is an emerging option. An open marriage occurs when a married couple mutually decides to have sexual and emotional relationships with people outside of the marriage while remaining married. If more than one committed relationship exists at a time, it is called polyamory. The practice was described in the 2008 memoir "Open: Love, Sex and Life in an Open Marriage" by Jenny Block, who practices open marriage with her husband, has a girlfriend and is a parent.

   Single Motherhood and Househusbandry

   • The feminist movement brought sweeping changes to women's roles in marriage. Fifty years ago, women were expected to stay at home and raise children while their husbands worked and supported their families financially. This made women financially dependent on their husbands, forcing many to stay in bad marriages. Now, women are a part of the workforce and can support themselves in the event of divorce. In some marriages, the woman is the sole breadwinner, and the man stays home with the children.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: their husbands, District Columbia, domestic partners, emerging alternatives, feminist movement, have been, marriages emerging