Marriage is outdated

Round 2 | Arguments only | by Eav | 11.10.2014 So, Con choose to open the debate and will therefore forfeit his last round, due to the given Structure of the debate. Because of that I will now present my arguments only and deal with my opponents single argument (as so far) later.Arguments PreviewPremise 1: Functioning traditional marriage are built on and promote outdated social principles1a: patriarchy 1b: outdated pedagogic concepts for raising childrenPremise 2: A functioning traditional Marriage is no longer realistic2a: Variety of Social Structures of modern partnerships and families 2b: Modern challenges for partnershipsPremise 3: Not functioning traditional Marriages create unnecessary problems 3a: Unrealistic psychological pressure for the partners3b: Social problems for childrenArgumentationPremise 1: Functioning traditional marriage are built on and promote outdated social principlesThe first thing I'd doubt about traditional marriage is its moral value. Because traditional marriages relies on social structures that have been abolished to ensure equality and progress. Meaning that traditional marriage mainly is morally a step back in history that would be far less harmful if it would not (see Premise 2) be rather incompatible with reality. 1a: patriarchy Marriages do allow both partners to work and raise their children. However do they often and in many countries (such as Austria or Germany) receive a major financial support if one partner stays at home and has no income rather than have a low paid job that keeps the taxes high for both. In other countries like the U.S.A. other factors such as the costs for child care might be the reason that one partner rather stays at home than to have a part or full-time job {1}. The pay gap {2} between men and woman is both: reason an proof that more woman do more often stay at home and why they do so - because it's financially more efficient. The legal outline around taxes for married couples therefore clearly encourage indirectly a system in which the male partner is the more important source of income. This creates over time a financial and social dependency for the wife that, even in a functioning relationship can lower her self-esteem.Apart from that is it not really beneficial for the overall wealth of the society if intelligent subjects don't see the need or the support to participate part time or full time in the economic system, because they create no values or goods. In 2013 Britain established a law to encourage stay-at-home-parents to get up an work because they found out that it was much more beneficial for their economic system just to run into the problem that it was still so attractive and comfortable for married couples to practice the old ways that especially richer parts of society regarded it as insult {3}. Traditional marriage as it is, is especially beneficial for those with a lot of income (because they get the most from the tax benefits) and wealth. All these are indicators to an abolished patriarchy that favours the rich and fortuned. It is not reflecting a developed modern society with equal chances and fairness. 1b: outdated pedagogic concepts for raising childrenConsidering 1a, we can conclude that traditional marriage encourages a pedagogic concept in which children are mainly raised by stay-at-home-mothers. And there in no proof that this is undoubtedly the best concept for children. We know about the importance of available fathers for families {4} yet we rather make new and complicated laws instead of remodelling the marriages in a way that is more open. On the one hand we promote a marriage form that has it's historical origins in inequality and inflexibility and on the other hand we try to handle all the wrong assumptions and all the wrong thinking that emerges from this concept.Premise 2: A functioning traditional Marriage is no longer realisticIn the following part; I'll try to show a few reasons why it is nowadays even more likely than before, that traditional marriages fail. 2a: Variety of Social Structures of modern partnerships and families Attempting to find proof for true love, scientists in 2009 at least found out that only one out of ten couples was able to keep up the depth of care and affection (brain scans were used to have an accurate feedback) for the partner for longer then about ten years {5}. Whatever people might personally think of true love, it at least means that from a romantic point of view eighteen of twenty people will engage in marriages that they are not longer emotionally interested in after seven to ten years. In 2008 the US for the first time, had more divorces than marriages {6}. And this trend is going on. Marriage today, the way it is, is statistically neither attractive nor successful. People living in patchwork-families, gay couples, single parents, unmarried couples, all these people are living with the feeling that the family lifestyle they choose is not "normal". While this might be a truth for some people living in religion-based traditional marriages it is certainly not what a country should exclusively promote with it's legal outline for partnerships (= standard marriage without legal alterations via marriage contract). 2b: Modern challenges for partnershipsThere are also factors that challenge the traditional marriage such as the increasing ability to travel, work and live unsteady and flexible. Some partners might choose to have separate places to stay for a few years or months to ensure both can fulfil their personal needs. Separate households are often a requirement for successful divorces meaning on the other hand that this paragraph just criticises if a partnership can be functioning without a shared household. It's a negative judgement and only reflects problems described in 1a. While science struggles to find out whether humans are naturally monogamous, prefer polygamy or whatever, we can certainly conclude that it's most comfortable for most to freely choose the sexual lifestyle that suits them most. Sexual faithfulness - or better the lack of it would be far less of social problem for all the participants if marriage would not primarily apply to faithful partners. Since birth control and DNA test we don't need marriage to ensure the parenthood for child.Premise 3: Not functioning traditional Marriages create unnecessary problems Established trough Premise 1 and 2 is traditional marriage neither something worth encouraging nor something that presents itself functioning for the last decade. We can therefore realistically consider all the harm that not-functioning marriages cause.3a: Unrealistic psychological pressure for the partnersDivorcing and "failing" marriage is something that does real harm to the self-esteem of the ex-partners. To fail a vow for eternity still is considered as serious fail. People who divorce after over twenty years to find new partners don't get celebrated for having raised children together and probably lived an example live of supporting each other but hate from their offspring and receive an overall lack of understand from their environment. A marriage is only worth something, if it is still a marriage. If it isn't everything related to it is considered a fail and worthless. And that's the way how people, in the middle of their life, suddenly make a choice to ensure their happiness just to be left with the feeling that they have wasted decades. 3b: Social problems for childrenAs long as marriage is promoted to be eternal and only "good" if it is a marriage that is remotely tradition, children will always consider divorce as a major break in their childhood. Just as children from gay couples often experience their first problem when they go to school and are told that their family is not actually a family, families who deal with separated parents could experience a major relieve if divorce and separation could legally be done financially uncomplicated and with support. The mere fact that countries make it difficult and exhausting to divorce is a reason that parents seem more difficult and exhausted when they are in divorce. I therefore conclude that on balance traditional marriage concepts are not beneficial and that marriage should therefore be remodelled to support and encourage modern relationships and families.Sources {1} http://www.pbs.org...{2} http://www.aauw.org...{3} http://www.telegraph.co.uk...{4} https://www.childwelfare.gov...{5} http://www.digitaljournal.com...{6} http://www.huffingtonpost.com...