 Marriage License  Waiting Period  Wedding Ceremony

Individually, please make a list of everything partners need to know about each other people before “taking the plunge.” What questions do you need to ask yourself, as well?

 In Mecklenburg County: Marriage application form $60.00 fee Race and education level must be listed People 16 to 17 must get consent by:  Parent  Guardian  Institution serving as guardian People 14 to 16 must:  Go to a district court judge

 Ceremony performed by… Ordained minister Minister authorized by his or her church Superior court judge Magistrate Any person recognized by any other religious institution

 No marriage of two people closer than first cousins shall be lawful Incest: Marrying or having sexual relations with a close relationship  If license is not returned after 10 days both parties shall be guilty of a misdemeanor

 Annulment: court order decreeing that a marriage never existed The man and woman were never legally husband and wife Reasons for annulment:  Age: the couple was too young  Bigamy: One spouse was already married  Fraud: One spouse lied about an important matter  Lack of Consent: One spouse was forced to marry against their will

 In countries such as India, many marriages are still arranged by parents.  Is this a violation of human rights, or is it OK because it is custom?

 Monogamy: One wife and one husband  Bigamy: Having two spouses  Polygamy: Having more than two spouses Polygyny: man has multiple wives Polyandry: woman has multiple husbands  Group Marriage: multiple husbands and multiple wives

 Separation: Short cooling off period or permanent Still legally married Most states require before a divorce

 Couple legally ends marriage & divides property  Can be very expensive: alimony, child support, legal fees, etc.

THE OLD WAYTHE NEW WAY  Used to have to prove: Adultery Desertion Mental cruelty Physical cruelty Insanity  If one spouse was at fault, they may not receive anything at all  “No-fault divorce system”  Only have to prove “irreconcilable differences”  Would divorce rates go down if states still required proof-of-fault?

 Living separate and apart for one year.  Living separate and apart for three consecutive years, without cohabitation, by reason of the incurable insanity of one of them, the court may grant a decree of absolute divorce upon the petition of the sane spouse.  The following are allowable fault grounds for divorce if either party: Abandons his or her family. Maliciously turns the other out of doors. By cruel or barbarous treatment endangers the life of the other. Offers indignities which render the other spouse's condition intolerable and life burdensome. Becomes an excessive user of alcohol or drugs. Commits adultery.

 Marriages per 1,000: 6.8  Divorces per 1,000: 3.4  Chances marriage will end in divorce: 20% of marriages will end in divorce with 5 years. 35% of marriages end in divorce within 10 years. 43% of marriages end in divorce within 15 years. 50% of marriages end in divorce within 20 years. Marriages that end do not always end in divorce; many end in separation and do not go through the divorce process. Separated Caucasian women are much more likely (91%) to divorce after 3 years, compared with separated Hispanic women (77%) and separated African American women (67%).

Does divorce vary by ethnicity?

Why has the divorce rate spiked so much in the last 30 years?

 Most states take into account the best interest of the child  Rarely changed after court ruling

 Child can choose at age 13  Joint custody – must have both parents in agreement Helpful or harmful?

In partners: The Case of the Two Fathers, page 421. GO!

 In loco parentis – stepparents required to support stepchildren in most states, even after they have moved out  Can adopt stepchildren to become full parents