Until the late 20th century, marriage was an institution in support of human survival—which in the recent history translated to financial security. Divorce rate

Until the late 20th century, marriage was an institution in support of human survival—which in the recent history translated to financial security. Divorce rates were low because survival was not only a practical limitation but also collectively valued very highly, and thus many societies didn't even allow divorces. In the late century, marriage became primarily an opportunity to accelerate your growth as a human person and help your spouse do the same. In other words, two closely bound people teaching each other lessons in life. This bound is weaker than it used to be (lacking the survivalist element) and as singles can now feed themselves divorce rates are way up. (With regard to the above, please remember that marriage in Western tradition has been commonly just disguised as romantic love; I maintain that romantic love has never been the deepest reason for two people deciding to bond together but merely an incubator for such a bond to form. Romantic love generally disappears from any relationship after the beginning phase unless actively maintained.)