Teen Marriage and Divorce
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The marriage that takes place between 2 adolescents belonging to the age group of 13 to 19 is called Teen Marriage. Until the late 20th century, this type of marriage was very common. However, presently it is seen that teen marriage raises the risk of divorce by 2 to 3 times. Teen marriages are generally marred by complications and these often terminate in a divorce. In the US, about 50 percent of the teen marriages dissolve within 15 years of the marriage. One third of the teen marriages terminate in divorce by the time the age of 25 is reached.
Statistics prove that a majority of teen marriages face divorce within the first 3 years of married life. This results in disillusionment for the divorced couple. Further, the divorced spouses try to rebuild their lives, continue their education or share time with children, if any.
Laws regarding Teen Marriage
- The latest marriage license laws in the US endorse the belief that teen marriage is not a good idea
- In this country, all the states (except Nebraska) ascertain that the teenager has to be at least 18 years of age if they wish to marry without parental protection. In Nebraska, this age is 19
- If there is a pregnancy, few states waive the age requirement mentioned in the previous point. However, the couple must have court approval
- In some states, if a teen has a child or is pregnant, the court permits this teenager to get married even without parental consent. However, such a couple must procure a permission from the court
- If a person is aged 16 or less and does not have parental approval for marriage but has court approval, the marriage is permissible by law
Hurdles in Teen Marriage that lead to divorce
- If a teen marries, he /she must be financially independent. The teenager, who has a job, finds that college education is time consuming and expensive and hence cannot be accommodated in the routine. Thus, he / she does not complete his / her education. Under these circumstances, the teen experiences more stress and strain in married life
- From the employer's perspective, teenagers are unreliable. So they face problems in getting hired for a well paying job. They can merely expect minimum wages. Even if both the spouses work hard, it is very challenging to make ends meet. If the couple has children, they may prevent full time employment. In a nutshell, the financial scenario is not very rosy
- A teenager cannot procure contract cell phones or celebrate legally with alcohol
- As a teenager is too young to sign leases or other contracts, the teen couple has to reside with some adult. Thus, there are residential problems
- When a teen gets married, he/she is not certain of his/her individuality. As age increases, this person develops new interests, changes and grows. With age, the couple can grow apart
- A teenager usually does not possess self confidence or maturity. This results in anger and jealousy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has pointed out that teen marriages are marked by domestic violence. This situation gives rise to legal problems. Under the circumstances, children may be banished from the household
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