Marriage and the State: A menege a trois

The article "Marriage and the State: A menege a trois," published January 21st, 2010 in the Economist, brings up a growing problem in many Western European countries. In England, the number of yearly divorces is almost equal to the number of new marriages. The tendency for young couples to avoid married is increasing. This has become such an issue that the candidates in Britain's upcoming election are sparring over how to confront it. The conservatives, led by David Cameron, are pushing for recognition of marriage and civil unions in the income-tax system. The labour party, on the other hand, wants special perks for married couples. Some more extreme groups are even calling for mandatory financial responsibility after a certain amount of time living together, whether or not the couple is married.

While this might not seem like an issue of political importance, it is actually deeply significant. The importance of "civil society" in connecting people to the state cannot be overstated. All across the western democracies, there is a growing trend of detachment from civil society. The less people feel like part of a community, the less active they are within that community. This manifests itself in lower voter turnout, and a greater apathy in general towards the political process. Democracies are built around civic duty. Anything that negatively affects civic duty can ultimately hurt the health of the democracy.