Essay Example on a Lasting Commitment: Marriage and Its Legality

Introduction

Marriage is major life commitment. Even so, it is usually considered as the first step towards starting a family, and it is mostly expected by society. Most cultures in the world in the world have rituals to make the union official, a solemnization ceremony. The ceremonies are usually accompanied by a marriage certificate, or any other recognized document, that makes the union legally binding. Some couples opt to get the marriage certificate without conducting the associated ceremonies, which are usually religious. The marriage certificate marks a change in social status, and legal implications that impact many different aspects of a person's life, like employment benefits, taxation, property ownership, and family roles. These can affect a person's life either positively or negatively depending on how the marriage is conducted. It is therefore prudent to take all these into consideration when making the decision to get married. Some people choose to live together before marriage in order to establish their compatibility, and have time to make any adjustments and acclimatize where necessary. There is a growing number of couples that are choosing to live together before marriage (Brown, and Wright). It is usually seen as a natural phase before marriage (Kramer). This paper will examine the reasons for, and positive aspects of premarital cohabitation.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Testing Compatibility

Research shows that a third of marriages went through a period of cohabitation (Manning, and Cohen). Many youths view it as a natural precursor to marriage. The fear of divorce drives them into a learning and preparation mode. The main reason they cited is that they needed to know if they would be compatible with their intended partners. Marriage and cohabitation share many qualities. Both involve sharing of living space, expenses, and other personal resources. This closeness with its associated benefits and anxieties, provides a natural environment where the couple get to know each other more, and to make the choice whether to get married or not without the legal implications of a divorce. Where it is well planned in advance, cohabitation usually leads to marriage within two years (Brown, and Wright).

Financial Autonomy

One major way in which marriage affects the individual that it binds the couple financially. At the basic level, living together means that there are more shared facilities, hence the need to pool resources to cover the associated expenses. These could be basic things like food and rent, or more complex arrangements like mortgage and insurance. There are many financial benefits for married couples; earnings rise due to tax reliefs, while expenses, which are now shared, reduce due to economies of scale. This is, however, not guaranteed. It works best in a situation where there is a income difference between the spouses that files taxes jointly. In such a case, the higher earner will be taxed in a lower bracket. In a dual income situation, couples could find themselves paying higher taxes due to the high income bracket their joint income takes them to (Torabi).

One problem for marriage and finances comes about due to the expected financial accountability where there are incompatibilities in each spouse's risk threshold and their general investment and spending approach. A single person might be more bullish when it comes to investing, while the other would want to practice more diligence, which affects yields for time-sensitive investments. The same goes for spending; one spouse could be an impulse buyer, while the other is a miser. The reality of marriage is that it joins two very different people into a single unit where the risks and benefits are shared.

Materialism is another major problem, where one spouse has accumulated more wealth than their partner. This is common among high income earners and celebrities. Such wealth usually attracts "gold diggers," who marry for the wrong reasons, leading to unfulfilled love and eventually divorce. This problem is so common that lawyers advise such people to sign prenuptial agreements, which can lead to an abusive and exploitative marriage.

The financial autonomy in a premarital cohabitational relationship gives space for the spouses to harmonize their financial differences and expectations. The financial choices of each partner will have little or no impact on the other. In case there are serious incompatibilities, there is usually a chance to understand them and deal with them from a point of knowledge. A wealthier partner could use the opportunity to help the other accumulate wealth without risking their own.

Room for Personal Development

Cohabitation is good for couples who feel they are not yet ready for marriage, but want to share the benefits without the responsibilities. These could be people still in college or in the early stages of their careers, who feel they would like some space to develop their careers and portfolios. The benefits in such an arrangement include intimacy, sex, shared expenses, and other resources at their disposal. This gives them a chance to save money for career advancement, like college fees. They avoid the settlement of marriage to give them a chance to travel and take career risks without the constraining responsibility that comes with marriage. They maintain their personal independence and give themselves a chance to shape that part of their adult lives on their own terms. This does not necessarily mean that are irresponsible people; they are responsible enough not to allow their strains and constraints affect their partners and their future. It's the same reason students are advised not to get married straight after high school. They are asked to give themselves a chance to explore the world before settling down. Those that cohabit for this reason form live-in relationships which help them maintain some form of social stability while still allowing them the freedom to shape their future.

Another benefit of this arrangement is that there is a significant level of accountability as opposed to living free single lives. Most couples in such a cohabitational relationship report and discuss their plans with their partners (Brown, and Booth). This unites them more as they share advice and tend to align their interests and activities. They share complementary resources and views that have positive effects on each other's development. Sixty percent of these relationships end in marriage and come with all the benefits of their professional development. The accrued professional achievements give the partners personal satisfaction that contributes to the longevity of their union. When the major aspects of their career development are covered at this stage, they allow for uninterrupted traditional family roles, like being present when raising their children, and their families end up having better quality of life.

Works Cited

Susan L Brown, PhD, Matthew R Wright, PhD, Marriage, Cohabitation, and Divorce in Later Life, Innovation in Aging, Volume 1, Issue 2, September 2017, igx015, https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx015

Torabi, Farnoosh. "The Financial Pros And Cons Of Marriage". Hermoney, 2020, https://www.hermoney.co(Brown, and Booth)m/connect/marriage/financial-pros-and-cons-of-marriage/.

Kramer, Elise (September-October 2004). "Cohabitation: Just a Phase?". Psychology Today. 37: 28.

MANNING, WENDY D., and JESSICA A. COHEN. "Premarital Cohabitation And Marital Dissolution: An Examination Of Recent Marriages". Journal Of Marriage And Family, vol 74, no. 2, 2012, pp. 377-387. Wiley, doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2012.00960.x.

Brown, Susan L., and Alan Booth. "Cohabitation Versus Marriage: A Comparison Of Relationship Quality". Journal Of Marriage And The Family, vol 58, no. 3, 1996, p. 668. JSTOR.