Marriage

Claire Murashima, NPR- When I was a girl, I didn’t dream of getting married the way many of my friends did. It doesn’t bother me that I’ve spent most of my twenties single. As my peers and I settled into life after college, it felt as if we either took the traditional path and married young or didn't think about marriage at all. Of the latter, some don’t believe in the institution, some are ethically non-monogamous, and some feel their long-term relationships suffice without marriage.  So, for the first installment of Morning Edition's "Summer of Love" series, I teamed up with Michel Martin and futurist Jake Dunagan to answer the question: What will marriage look like in the future? I also talked to four other experts whose interviews didn't make it on air. They had a lot to say about how rapidly shifting marriage norms in recent decades will play out in the future. Here are some of their thoughts: 💒 Therapist Sheila Addison says the LGBTQ+ community is “leading the way in re-imagining marriage.” Though many of her queer clients are skeptical of the institution, as same-sex marriage was legalized nationally nine years ago, she says they want “committed, intimate relationships of some kind” and added that “for many folks, that still does mean marriage.”  💒 Marriage coach Hasani Pettiford counsels couples on the verge of divorce due to infidelity. He says marriage is in peril because of a culture that says to flee when things get hard. He compares the struggle to commit to a relationship with buying a house. “If I rent, I can break a lease and move on. I'll pay a little fee,” Pettiford said. “But if I own a house, it's a whole lot harder to leave.” This mentality of renting vs. ownership has spilled into relationships, Pettiford says. All of the experts I spoke with predict that marriage will continue to become more fluid. It has already evolved away from the model of one male and one female marrying to create children and never getting a divorce.  Dunagan thinks there could be three alternate potential futures for the institution of marriage:  ❤️ It could collapse. Today, many don't feel a need for religious or state approval to have a lasting romantic relationship.  ❤️ Its norms could become more rigid and be used to reinforce social norms.  ❤️ Lastly, it could completely transform. Humans and non-human entities like AI could marry.