Options if you do not want to get married

Recently a group of divorce attorneys in Chicago were blasted for a very controversial billboard with the tag line "Life's short - get a divorce." The critics argued that marriage was not something to be taken lightly and by openly motivating people to consider divorce, the lawyers were sending a wrong message.

While it is often said that one out of every two marriages in the country leads to a divorce, some recent statistics suggest that the divorce rate may have actually leveled off and even declined. Is it true?

Yes, the numbers are right and that is why the divorce attorneys are seeking new clients, the real story is different. What is happening is that instead of getting married people are choosing to live together before marriage (if at all they do it) and even have children out of wedlock (in the traditional sense), though many of these couples are actually in long-term, monogamous, committed relationships.

According to statics, the number of couples living together without marriage has increased 10 times since 1960 and the marriage rate has plunged by 30% during last 25 years. Plus, Americans are marrying when they are much older.

So what is the message here?

If you are not absolutely convinced that you have found the spouse of your dreams, wait to get married. There are other options to be together. Remember, divorce is costly and painful.