A few years ago I heard that according to statistics, every second marriage in our country ends in divorce. That simply can’t be true – I thought back then. Now I realize that this isn’t even the most pessimistic forecast. Why does it happen?
After all, all the conditions for making the right life partner choice seem to have been created already. Pre-marital sex – no problem, living together without registering the relationship – go ahead, nowadays even open relationships don’t surprise everyone. Yet divorces remain just as common.
Does cohabitation before marriage positively affect the relationship, or does it actually undermine the prospects of a happy shared future? Of course, this question is irrelevant for couples who are fundamentally opposed to formalizing their relationship. Although even here there’s a caveat – this only applies to couples where both partners genuinely share this view, not when one partner is against it while the other hopes the first will eventually change their mind. Such relationships are highly unlikely to ever lead to building a family.
Could it really be that cohabitation with and without a marriage stamp makes a difference? Indeed, in couples where both individuals equally accept not only the rights but also the responsibilities with the same sense of commitment, there is absolutely no difference. Unfortunately, however, far from all couples are like that. Most initially perceive cohabitation as a kind of family role-play, where each tries to perform their part beautifully and correctly, since their shared future depends on it. At the same time, they don’t consider at all that this exemplary performance of playing house will very soon become tiresome. Sadly, it most often becomes tiresome for the woman, who usually tries harder at the beginning. What matters is not to appear better, but to genuinely become better. It is precisely in such cases that we typically hear the phrase “After the wedding, she changed completely, she became a different person.” No, she finally became herself.
