Gospel Girl I would love to answer your questions, but you have been flooding the questions without responding, evaluating, and rating them. I answered more than 7 or 8 questions of your in last few days and still waiting for the feedback. I think we owe it to the ppl those replied to go back and evaluate and rate their answer. That keeps the momentum of questions and answers and show you appreciation to others' efforts to research and response to your quest.

We're more fickle then other countires.

This answer is in my own words and feeling I have felt in North America about the marriages: -There are too many rights of everyone and each one wants to fight for their own rights. Somehow, between the right of each and everyone, somewhere in between there are rights of the other person is hidden. For example: The wife has right to not to pay visit to the husband's elderly parents and she can demand her husband to spend most his time with her. She is right because he is her husband, but in this, there are little of the parents hidden where they have the right to see their son at least once a month for few hrs. This is when the disagreements start. -The whole society is about "Me, Mine, and My". I wish society could change to "Ours, US, and Them". -Too much of money and greed to spend on themselves alone leads to financial issues. -Less respect to other person's point of view (self-righteousness). -Lack of giving (the relationships are focused more on what I can get from you) and exchanging. -Compromise is not an acceptable term in any relationship. -Drug abuse, alcoholism, and other vices. -Divorce process is very easy and is accepted in the society. -More couples come from broken homes (lack of experience in developing the bondage or commitment). These are strictly my observations and my personal opinion and have no intention to judge or hurt anyone.

I think it's because we have become an overly-indulged and opulent culture. We don't like to be told what to do, yet we consistently allow ourselves to be told what to think. This has given us a sad lack of being able to formulate our own opinions of the world and ourselves while at the same time creating a "Why, of course I'm always right!" attitude and the "Don't YOU tell ME..." stance on disputes. We often run with our feelings without first thinking through things rationally. We also tend to lay blame upon everyone and everything, except where it truly belongs: ourselves. If people, in general, could take the time to understand themselves more than to the extent we usually do, far fewer "mistakes" would be made in things like choosing the "wrong" partner. Of course there are also the truly unknowable and unforeseeable reasons that can necessarily lead to separation and divorce. But far more often it is just a basic lack of understanding ourselves and what we need and the not seeing our partners for who they truly are and being able to love them unconditionally for it.

If you study divorce rates worldwide, you will see that most comparatively developed countries have similar divorce rates (over 40%). In addition, the spike in divorce rates coincides with women having the ability to be economically, politically, and socially independent. It seems the divorce rate used to be kept down by denying women independence; therefore, denying them the ability to leave unsatisfactory marriages. There are individual exceptions, of course, but what is seen in countries where women achieve relatively equal social status is a resultant upswing in the rate of divorces.

AntigoneRising provided a good answer. I will just add my 2 cents. Because it's easy--easier than actually having to work out differences in a lot of cases. Working out differences takes time, patience, and commitment and some people would rather give up. Quickie divorces have made that an easier option as well. I still can't get over the fact that 7 years of marriage was undone in a mere 9 months from splitting to court date. Six months of that was the state of Virginia's mandatory 6 month waiting period. Attitudes about marriage have changed drastically in a short period of time. My husband just came home one day and said that he didn't want to "play house" anymore. Play house? Since when did the sanctity of marriage become playing house? Ughhh. I mean why bother to seriously consider a marriage proposal when if you don't like it, you can just get a divorce right? Being divorced no longer carries the stigma of shame that it once did. When my parents divorced in the early 80s I remember my mom feeling humiliated and being the target of neighborhood gossip. By the time I divorced, no such stigma existed. This is based entirely on my own experiences and observations only so take it for what its worth. Hope it helps answer your question.

As Catholics, we are to recognize that marriage is a sacrament. A gift from God. There for, we should take the time how ever long it takes to get to know your mate to be. Under every day lifes situations you can first hand see how your mate reacts to other people, twards children, thier parents, the things they say or the way they say them. Most important of all is if you both are of the same faith, your spiritual goal will be the same to love and serve the Lord together. Today we rush into marriage for the wrong reasons and do not respect the fact that the holy sacrament of marriage is not for every one.

(without reading everyone else's answers) I think that 96.3% of all marriages end in divorce because one of the persons in the relationship expected that piece of paper to be the answer to all there sorrow, worries and misery - when they found out that they actually had to put in work to have their marriage be a happy one they said "forget this" I don't want to have to work for anything - It should just be handed to me. Now they are running the streets wondering why their lives are the way they are P.S. I have no clue as to where I came up with 96.3% but it's funny to me now

That's because America has not yet resolved the problem in what marriage it really about---it's so easy here to get divorced.

If America made it extremely difficult to get a divorce would there be more murders? I don't know but it's an interesting question. I don't feel anyone should be able to get a divorce except for extreme cases. Divorce destroys lives and hurts children. Children need to grow up in a home with a Mom and a Dad who love each other and love them. Society is getting more screwed up because of the high divorce rate destroying family's. People are too damn self centered nowadays. I love my wife and my children and would never even think of leaving them.

It's too expensive to travel to other countries to do it!

Because we don't suppress women and it’s the land of the free.

Marriage seems to have lost it's meaning in America. It seems to have lost it's meaning in Canada as well, though. Of course there are still people who see the beauty in marriage. (my opinion)

The top reasons for divorce are as followed: The number one reason is money. They say money makes the world go around. But they also say it is the root of all evil. The other top reasons for divorce: Infidelity. Poor communication Change in priorities. This can be caused by having kids or due to ones job, big things. Lack of commitment to the marriage. Sexual problems. Other reasons that come up frequently, but not as frequently are: Addictions Failed expectations of your spouse (believing one is a super hero or that he/she can fix or be everything to or for you) Physical, emotional or sexual abuse.

Spoiled in my view.

I don't know what America has to do with it, but what I think so many people do is they simply think ohhhhhh well if things don't go my way.....I'll just get out. DIVORCE. Unstead of working through a rough time, they just go on to something or someone else. Not always..Sometimes divorce is needed! When 2 people just for what ever reason don't love each other any more!

while i like roe v wade and want to see it upheld, i think that the freedom that women finally experienced, much more so than the right to vote, the birth control pill catapulted women's rights and freedoms. when someone has had their behavior restricted for any period of time, they tend to swing in the far opposite direction. some folks don't like the fact that relationships require both parties assuming responsibilities. folks just out of school haven't yet had a chance to experience life and make the kinds of mistakes that make them grateful for their partners later on in life. i think that, while the western frontiers had young marriages, they also had something that less civilized, third world countries have, financial insecurity. they're never guaranteed tomorrow (although we urban dwellers pretend that we've got it). the cow dies, and there goes their milk supply. part of the reason that divorce is so common in America is because it is now acceptable, gosh, in some circles, it's expected. if you haven't been divorced at least once, then you can't possibly relate to the problems that i'm going through. with relatively strong economic / financial figures for the USA and with a relatively low influence of structure (divorce law is becoming as easy as 1-2-3) (the Church says don't get divorced, unless you really want to), folks divorce. There are a lot of options today that weren't available in yesteryear. One hundred years ago, if i were really interested in politics, i'd have had to move my family to washington, dc. now, i get hop on-line a earn an mba, write political commentaries, and meet "Bambie" and "Thumper" from some girlie chat room. With all the professional helpers out there now, ministers, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers ... couples ought to join in couples counseling. but, usually, the one partner has kept his or her lips sealed for months, and when the dumpee is notified, the other has resolved that there is no hope of reconciliation.

I think the reason marriages fail here in America now is because out society has become about instant gratification. Everything we have around us is disposable 15 years ago people still used real tuperware now people buy disposable containers to do the same thing. Not only do people expect that Marriage is the answer to there problems but they dont expect to have to work at it. When they dont get instant results they become frustraited. Ontop of it all we make it very easy to divorce in the USA as well as letting it be socially acceptable.

People get married for the wrong reasons. They're in lust rather than love, they "settle" for the person they're with rather than finding their soulmate and also because everything in America is disposable. Nobody wants to work at anything because we've become a society of lazy people who blame everything and everyone else except ourselves and never take any accountability or responsibility.