Resolved: The United States should offer Temporary Marriages

It is oft stated that, in America, 50% of marriages end in divorce. Whether or not this statistic is accurate, what is certainly true is that divorce takes a toll on the splitting couple, both emotionally and financially. Financial: The average cost of a divorce can range from $15k to $30k (1). Given that people are often encouraged to treat divorce as a punishment, hiring a blood-thirsty lawyer to rob the other party, divorced couples are often worse off than if they had never married (2). Beyond court and attorney fees, the couple will now be singly taking on expenses that were shared while married (utilities, mortgage) and, in most cases, at least one person will have to find a new place to live. While taking on such things is no different than single people who do this every day, divorce can force a person into this situation suddenly and unexpectedly, without preparation and with less resources than if they were single and never married. Emotional: Except in a few rare cases, divorce is an emotional event for all parties involved. Marriage is a commitment and an investement, one that fails when it ends in divorce. The emotional toll divorce can take on a person can result in a decline in one's health. A number of health issues can stem from the divorce process (3) which is also a financial concern when you factor in health costs. The Solution: Temporary marriages are a marriage with a set time limit. A couple applies for a marriage certificate as normal, but the marriage automatically ends after a set period, such as two years. When the marriage expires, the couple can choose to extend the marriage for another two years, extend the marriage indefinitely, or dissolve the marriage. How it fixes the financial toll: Since the marriage ends automatically, there is no need to involve the courts (except to formally acknowledge the disolution of the marriage), and no need to hire lawyers. Such options currently exist with "divorce kits" that cost a mere $25 to $70 dollars and are ideal when there is nothing to dispute and there are no children (4). These temporary marriages would operate similarly. Since the end of the marriage is known to both parties, the odds that there will be a dispute are reduced. Given that it is known the marriage can end in two years, the couple will probably be more likely to keep finances separate, which makes a transition to being single much easier (5). How it fixes the emotional toll: As stated, divorce can be a sudden and tramatic event, often times putting each party into the roll of a victim and perpetrator. Since a marriage is an investment, there is incentive to stay married. While this can cause some couples to work to overcome differences that could result in divorce, in other couples, it can cause those problems to simply pile up until they become emotionally unbearable for one or both to endure. With a temporary marriage, the end is known and is in sight. Both parties are cognizant of that time line, and are given ample opportunity to consider the future with each other and to discuss and resolve problems. If there is a problem that seems irreconcilable, there is no pressure to attempt to live with it, but rather simply ride the marriage out until it dissolves, then go their separate ways. Without the incentive to endure problems for an indefinite period of time, stress is reduced. In fact, it can be conceived that this could actually help save marriages. If there is a problem that one perceives could end the marriage, they may keep quiet about it, all the while becoming more and more miserable until they can bear it no more, and request a divorce. However, if the end is in a short period of time, and definite, they may feel free to open up about problems. Openning up results in communication, communication that could fix the problem, allowing a more permanent marriage to flourish. Caveats: Clearly a divorce can be of minimal financial and emotional strain when it is amicable, discussed, planned, and performed in cooperation. Divorce gets expensive and emotionally draining when those factors are not met. It seems, then, that temporary marriages also require this type of cooperation. What happens if, at the end of the temporary marriage, the couple is split on what to do? Or there are significant shared assets? Or there are children? Clearly the marriage should not be renewed unless both agree, but what about assets and children? Unless there is clear agreement, both will end up in court as if they were getting divorced. Given this, it may seem that temporary marriages offer no benefit, but this is not the case. Firstly, given that the temporary marriage is deliberate, the chances the couple will find themselves in such a situation is reduced (even if not eliminated). Second, given that the temporary marriage is short term, there is less time to dig themselves into a situation in which it is hard to extricate. A marriage of 25 years with substantial shared assets and several children is much harder to dissolve than one of 2 years with significantly less assets and (most likely) only one child. In the end, it is irrelevant if, in some cases, temporary marriages are as bad as a divorce. If temporary marriages are not better than traditional divorce in some cases, but better than traditional divorce in all others, then, over all, temporary marriages are better than divorce. Clearly, temporary marriages should be an option, if not mandated. [1] http://www.forbes.com... [2] http://articles.latimes.com... [3] http://www.divorcesupport.com... [4] http://www.bankrate.com... [5] http://www.divorcesupport.com...