Is Marriage Truly Going Out of Fashion?

Somebody asked this question and maybe it's just worth reflecting upon.

Just read on one of the 'soft' sites about a popular Nigerian artiste who just had a baby with his girlfriend, and while he is relishing his new status as a father he just wouldn't make an honest woman out of her by tying the knot with her. So many in this category to make the trend worrisome.

Disregard the much touted views of the liberal portion of the female specie. 

"I don't want to be tied down to any one, just need someone to make a baby with"

Utter balderdash in my honest opinion.

Every woman has at one time or the other fantasized about her knight in shinning armor, coming to sweep her off her feet and leading her down the aisle with a wide grin on his face, slipping a diamond ring onto her finger and sealing it with a kiss...

Somewhere along the line, the priorities were muddled up, values were washed down the drain. Everything smirks of the moral decadence that has generally pervaded our society, washing away every shred of decency and moral obligation.

How could one confess that he has found his perfect match, the woman of his dreams who he would love to have a baby with and yet be reluctant to do the 'right thing' as expected by the society we live in. While not criticizing his actions or utterances, afterall it is a free world but we are all a product of the same society, grew up with identical values, whether from the North, South, West or East.

It is a trend that is not only peculiar to the young or the black race, as a matter of fact it is more predominant in the Western world. 

Consider Francois Hollande who succeeded Nicolas Sarkozy as the president of France. His is an unconventional lifestyle given the fact that he has never been married yet enjoyed and is still enjoying every benefits of being married!

He was in a union with fellow socialist Segolene Royal producing four children between them; they separated and he is now with Valerie Trierweiler (nicknamed rottweiler by the media) , making him the first unmarried president (that I have ever heard of) in the history of France.

This just goes to show that the institution of marriage which was revered while we were growing up is on a fast decline globally.

Divorce continues to rise and gone are the days when young brides always nostalgically plan their wedding cum marriage under the supervision and guidance of wise parents. This has been replaced by older wiser women who would rather cohabit with their male counterparts, calling the shots, afterall, no dowry has been paid and we split the bills between us.

Gone is the age old belief that marriage is the bedrock of a stable society, 'stakeholders' now prefer to 'enjoy' partnership outside marriage, preferring to live their lives as they deem fit.

While marriage is not without its challenges which some would view as disadvantages, the advantages outweigh them.

For instance, research has shown that married couples stay together longer than those who cohabit. Some studies even show that the stability of marriage produces emotionally stable individuals. 

Sad to note that whichever way we chose to look at it, the world has moved on. The number of people who chose to say "I do" to their partners have drastically reduced in numbers compared to what was obtained in history.