Andrew* fidgets with his coffee cup. "I never thought it would happen to me," he says and rubs his face. "I was going to stay married forever."
A recent divorcee, Andrew is not alone. Over fifty percent of marriages now end in divorce and sociologists are discovering a startling reason why. Dr. Marsha Bisnit of the Chicago Center for Marriage Studies states, "We used to think it was because people grew apart, developed different interests, or even committed adultery. Now we're finding that the number one contributing factor for divorce is getting married."
Dr. Bisnit has been studying marital relationships for over twenty years. "I've seen my share of pain," she says. "And the whole mess could have been avoided had they just stayed single. People who never marry have virtually a zero percent chance of ever getting divorced. It's like the super-antioxidant for relationships. But people get caught up in all the emotions and forget the risks involved."
Mark*, Andrew's younger brother, is currently divorce-free and plans on staying that way. "It isn't worth it, man," says Mark. "I mean, I've seen what my brother has gone through. Divorce man, it's tough. I'll do what I can to avoid it, even if that means staying single forever. To me, the choice is easy."
*Names have been changed to protect privacy