Marriage : American Style Before the Wedding “Marriage halves our griefs, doubles our joys, and quadruples our expenses”  It decreases both freedom and loneline Today’s Americans seem willing to take the bad with the good because the institution of marriage continues to be popolar in the U.S.A  By the middle age, about 92% of Americans have been married at least one Only 56% of American adults are married and living with their spouse  The number of unmarried adults, around 77 million, has been growing much faster than the married population  Among younger adults( ages 25 to 34) about 35% have never been married Why are people stying single longer?  Many young adults want to get their careers well established before marriage  Many couples live together without marrying 1970 Today The median age of a first-time bride 20.6 25 The median age of a first-time groom 22.5 27  When Americans choose a spouse, they are usually based upon felling of love rather than on practical considerations  In the U.S, parents not arrange marriages for their children Most parents encourage their children to marry someone of the same race and religion  But marriages between Americans of different religions or different national origins are common  However, marriages between blacks and whites continue to be rare, involving less than 0.3% of the nation’s 58 million married couples    When a man and woman become engaged, at this time, it is traditional for the man to give his fiancee a gift she will wear and treasure for the rest of her life-a diamond engagement ring  Engagement and wedding gifts help the couple to set up their new home  Wedding guests can choose gifts from this list before the wedding and have them mailed to bride-to-be’s home  The couple also receives shower gifts  A shower is a party just for women at which each guest gives the bride-to-be- something useful for her new home  Shortly before the wedding, the groom and his close friends and relatives celebrate at an all-male party called a bachelor or stag party The Big Day Wedding Customs  The traditional American bride wears a long white gown and a veil They also obey the well-know verse and wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”  The groom usually wears a tuxedo  Tradition says that the bride and groom are not supposed to see each other until the ceremony  Traditonal pieces of music played during the procession are the wedding march from Wagner’s opera Lohengrin and orchestral music from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but today many couples select other music  During a typical ceremony, the pride and groom exchange identical wedding rings The ring, symbolizes unending love and loyalty  At the end of the wedding ceremony, the groom and bride are pronounced husband and wife and are invited to kiss each other  After the ceremony, there is a reception-a party with food, drinks, and dacing  After the meal, the bride and groom cut the cake and it is served to the guests  Just before the bride leaves the reception, she throws a bouquet of flowers backward over her head to a group of single women standing behind her - In the past, the bride’s parents were expected to pay for almost everything But today, expenses are often shared by the parents on both sides - To be legally, a couple need only fulfill the requirements by the state in which the ceremony is performed State laws determine who may get a marriage license - After the wedding, the newlyweds usually take a vacation called a honeymoon The Contemporary American Marrige  Some older couples still have traditional marriges, with the man as breadwinner and the woman as homemaker  Today, most younger women today are not content to be full-time homemakers They want s marriage, but she also wants to keep her own identity  In the contemporary American marrige, the husband and wife share both financial and domestic responsibilities  In most families, the working wife share of the housework, cooking and childing care, but gets some help from her husband  Sharing money-making and housekeeping responsibilities provides a better life for both parents  Her husband discovers that cooking and child care can be fun and can bring him closer to his family  The contemporary American marriage is also characterized by a relationship of equalily and shared decision making  When husband and wife are able to share decision making and respect each other’s viewpoints, their marriage is probably closer than those of past generations Divorce And Alternative Lifestyles  In 1999, for every 100 marriages in American that took place, there are about 50 divorces  The U.S divorce rate is twice that of Europe and three times higher than Japan’s Why so many Americans get divorced?  There are a variety of reasons why the rate of divorce has increased so dramatically in American  Americans expects so much from marriage that so many get divorced  They prefer no marriage at all to a marriage without love and understanding  With typical optimism, they end one marriage hoping that the next will be happier  No-fault divorce laws in many states make it easier than ever to get a divorce - When a couple gets divorced, the court may require the man to pay his former wife a monthly sum of money called almony - The amount of alimony depends on the husband’s income, the wife’s needs, and the length of the marriage - When a divorcing has children, the court must determine which parent the children will live with and who will provide for their support - In most cases, the children live with the mother and the father pays child support and has visitation rights ... each other’s viewpoints, their marriage is probably closer than those of past generations Divorce And Alternative Lifestyles  In 1999, for every 100 marriages in American that took place, there... Japan’s Why so many Americans get divorced?  There are a variety of reasons why the rate of divorce has increased so dramatically in American  Americans expects so much from marriage that so many... good because the institution of marriage continues to be popolar in the U.S.A  By the middle age, about 92% of Americans have been married at least one Only 56% of American adults are married and