ALEXIS SEBRING
Perspectives Assistant
It is not uncommon to see engaged or married couples at Seaver. But are these couples going to last a lifetime? Many factors make it difficult to uphold this standard. Since one component that is highly important is age, couples should postpone marrying until after graduating college or after reaching their career goal.
Some experts contend that divorce rates are falling among college-educated couples, but not among the less-educated couples, according to a 2007 article from MSNBC.
There are three stages in college: the beginning, the middle and the end. It is most logical to get married in the end stage for many reasons.
In the beginning, a typical person is still attempting to discover his or her individuality. People are vulnerable to certain situations that they are not used to because of the sudden sense of freedom experienced. In this stage, a person will experiment with new things and try to determine their values. This is an exciting, yet confusing, time in life.
In the middle, the pieces of the puzzle have begun fitting together. A person is beginning to create a foundation on which their morals and beliefs lie. A general goal is visible and vulnerability to uncertain situations is fading because a person’s purpose is beginning to appear.
In the end, a person is accomplished. Graduation has arrived, a career goal has developed, and people are generally on their way to pursuing that goal. In this stage, marriage is logical.
Coming out of college, people are much more educated, mentally developed, and morally stable than when they are just arriving. Priorities in life and expectations in a mate change as a person’s education and experience increase. If he or she gets married before these factors fall into place, the marriage is more likely to fail.
The divorce rates for college-educated women who married between 1990 and 1994 fell to 16.5 percent. But the divorce rates among women with only a high-school diploma remained constant over the same period, and it rose among women without a high-school diploma,” according to a study reported by a 2006 article called “The Divorcing Kind.” This shows that educated couples are more prepared for this kind of commitment and their marriage as a better chance of surviving.
In most cases, before a student graduates, he or she is not financially stable. Starting a marriage on a low income is another cause for failure.
“Families with two earners with good jobs have seen an improvement in their standard of living, which leads to less tension at home and lower probability of divorce,” John Hopkins University professor Andrew Cherlin told MSNBC. It is important to be self-sufficient before joining in matrimony, because if not, it will bring both people down.
As much as we like to think that love can be the only thing that keeps a marriage strong, a lasting union takes much more than love. It is worth it to wait until graduating college to get married.
The marriage rate has dropped by about 30 percent in past 25 years and Americans are waiting around five years longer to marry than they did in 1970, according to MSNBC. These prove that waiting to get married until someone is older and more mature helps a marriage last longer. It should last a lifetime, so it is pointless to rush into it and satisfy the “now” aspect rather than waiting and making sure it will endure.
It is important to become a successful and independent individual before joining lives with someone else. By doing this, a dependence falls into one’s life, and if the independence of someone is not established, that individual will never gain the fulfillment of being self-sufficient. Living life as a dependent person is not gratifying in any way. It is unhealthy and should be avoided at any cost.
The sudden rush of marriage will soon wear off and students are not at all satisfied with or prepared for the burdens and responsibilities of a married life.
To make sure marriages remain sacred and lifelong, college students should reconsider marrying before graduation. Prioritizing will make everything last longer, because beginning with an education and following with marriage is sure to help couples speak the truth when they vow to stay together until death do them part.
11-15-2007
