Marriage was once viewed as a permanent bond between two people before God. Traditional marriage vows say, “Through sickness and health, till death do us part”; yet nearly half of all marriages today will end in divorce. So why do so many marriages end in divorce? Traditional reasons for divorce would include money, infidelity, and lack of intimacy. The lack of money in a relationship tends to add pressure on a marriage. “If this couple will earn a modest $50,000 as a family, their odds of seeing their 15th anniversary jump to 68%” (Bronson & Ashely, 2006). In marriage, money goes a long way. Money doesn’t mean that people will be happy in marriage, but it does relieve some of the pressure and stress in a marriage.

Infidelity is another major reason why many marriages fail. According to Infidelity Facts, infidelity is likely to occur within the first two years of marriage. “This is the time when the whirlwind ends, and routine begins to set in. The emotional high that both partners experienced is gone. This leaves a void. It is similar to the effects of drugs. Once you are high and come back down, you want to get high again. The new husband or wife may no longer consistently supply what is needed to find that high” (Infidelity Facts, 2006).

Lack of intimacy also is a major factor that leads to infidelity and ultimately divorce. “If a chart is drawn with years of marriage and the frequency of intimacy, the line drops off pretty rapidly after three years and the drop is even sharper for couples with kids” (Coda, 2005). When lack of intimacy becomes a factor in a marriage often spouses go looking for that intimacy in other places, whether it is emotional or physical. Spouses who seek emotional intimacy often end up engaging in physical intimacy as well.

I don’t know if earning fifty thousand dollars as a family increases couple’s chance of seeing their fifteenth anniversary by sixty-eight percent. Today, it is hard for couples to even make their fifth year anniversary let alone the fifteenth whether or not you are financially stable. Infidelity s seems to be a major issue when talking about marriages and divorce. “Infidelity is always destructive, and often fatal, to a marriage” (Swenson, 2009). It does make sense that spouses would cheat after the first couple of years in a marriage, because that is when it is less likely to be suspected. People are always searching for that same high that they just came down from in the beginning of the marriage. Lack of intimacy is relevant to the question of why people are getting divorced. Whether people want to admit it or not sex is an instrumental part of a marriage. When the intimacy is lacking or is gone, people begin to have wandering eyes. The article does reflect a weakness. According to the article Infidelity facts, nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, but what the article doesn’t include is how many couples married in a single year and how many of those same couples divorced in that year. That would give us a better understanding of what the divorce rate.

According to Pierre Coda money is not a major issue in marriage. There are many people that live in poverty that love each other and are happily married. Money, infidelity, and lack of intimacy are all major factors on why people get divorced. The saying goes, “Love will conquer all,” but apparently this is not true. Considering the facts, would it be wise to say that you should avoid the alter and those two words, “I Do.”

Bibliography
Bronson, P., & Ashely, M. (2006, June 30). Time. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1209784,00.html#ixzz0r5fHieac
Coda, P. (2005). Not Enough Intimacy in the Marriage? Retrieved from My Nippon: http://www.mynippon.com
Infidelity Facts. (2006). Infidelity Facts and Information. Retrieved from Infidelity Facts: http://www.infidelityfacts.com
Swenson, G. (2009, April 19). Coping With Infidelity In Marriage. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from Infidelity: http://www.gregswensonphd.com/infidelity.htm#5