marriage was once regarded as a serious obligation, as something...bigger than the 2 people, even bigger than any kids that came of it. now...at least in the US, the overall divorce rate has stabilized for first marriages (good luck with a 2nd or third, tho), but the concept has changed, so its more like...
something that's supposed to keep both people "happy" and/or "growing" or...something, I dunno. in other news, I see there's a booming industry in psychologists helping people do "collaborative divorce," which...I find distasteful, personally. blah. :-(