I Do?
It was a surprise to most Canadians when Stats Canada results from a recent census in 2006 revealed that there are more adults living in Canada who are not married, 51.5% to be exact, than adults who are married. This is the first time that this has occurred. Over the years, especially the further we look back, the majority of Canadian adults have been married as opposed to unmarried. Some argue that this is due to the fact that the values in other generations focused on finding a mate, getting married and having children. However, in today’s society there have been many factors that have changed the idea of marriage being the ideal lifestyle and the key to happiness.
The following is a link to the song "Everything I Do, I Do it for You" by artist Bryan Adams. The lyrics in the song express some of the values of marriage and love.http://youtube.com/watch?v=oOkxI2YtZXw
One argument mentioned was that women’s perspective on marriage has changed. There used to be the idea of the “perfect house wife”, this meant that the husband was the breadwinner and the woman’s role as the wife was to stay at home, take care of the children and cater to the husband. Our society has come a long way from that old fashioned image. Women have gained much more respect and continue to do so, gaining more rights as well as earning higher education and
having their own careers. There is also the issue that women no longer are willing to change who they are in order to please another. Females are able to “do whatever they want”. The female independence and liberation that has increased over the years could be a factor that affects married and unmarried couples. In Canada marriages are not focused on heterosexual relationships anymore. Homosexual relationships are accepted in Canada, and only very recently gay marriages have been allowed. This could be a factor as to why marriage numbers have decreased because gay marriage has only just recently been accepted. There are those people who do not want to get married but stay as a common wealth gay couple because of all the arguments and discrimination that is still continuing today.
A Comedians view on marriage
The biggest factor however are the different messages expressed through the media and society about marriage. If we were to take a closer look at the messages that are expressed in current movies and even in song lyrics many talk about the negative aspects of marriage. The idea that marriage is permanent and as the movie License to Wed clearly puts it “Kiss your independence goodbye!” encourages many single adults to reject marriage. This permanent bond between two people is not what scares single adults away; however it is the idea that with marriage, many seem to lose the love that was once shared. There is also the fear of regret or that one is “rushing into things”. Unfortunately there is no guarantee that every marriage will end happily ever after, this is intimidating because no one wants to suffer the consequences of heartbreak or divorce.
Trailer for the motion picture The Heartbreak Kid
As mentioned before, the media plays a large role in portraying the positive and negative aspects of marriage. In the majority of movies there is always the part of the plot where two people will fall in love and live happily ever after, after they are married. In more recent films, two examples are The Heartbreak Kid and License to Wed, marriage is seen as something that requires a lot of planning, hard work and extreme amounts of stress. It portrays that marriage is not what it is made out to be. They also show the possibility of the feeling of regret once someone is married. It displays views that we sometimes feel pressured into marriage because of our age or our cultural beliefs. Though these movies are fictional and are created for entertainment they display some of the fears that single adults may have when it comes to marriage and ultimately, they may be influenced by them.
In the tabloids, magazines and on entertainment networks there are the celebrity marriages that always end badly, well, most of the time. Although it is obvious that many of these marriages are publicity stunts, the repeatedly failed marriages that we see is also part of the influence the media can have on society.
Trailer for the motion picture License to Wed
The Canadian society is always undergoing change and the values of its citizens are also changing. As we have grown as a nation and are influenced by the media, the idea of marriage is obviously affected. However, just because the majority has changed between married and unmarried adults does not mean that our society is “going under”. As Canadians we have the right to choose what we do and we develop our own sets of values. It is up to the individual to decide what makes them happier, whether that is with marriage or without.
The following are some links to interesting facts on marriage and the views over the generations:
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