I would just like to say this, and I will do my best to practice brevity in my adjudication.
To begin with, I am a Muslim, and one who believes in the dire importance of marriage, I am against having a partner over whom you have no authority and who has no authority over you, it is simply wrong. Marriage, I believe puts in this sense of commitments, and often pragmatically, this is the only thing that keeps a man and a woman from being separated. Thus, marriage is essential, but it is also essential for us to examine at how people look at marriage. If you simply see it as a contract, then it is not what I would call a marriage, but a simply piece of paper publicly admitting your consent to a woman to live with you. Marriage means more to me, a lot more.
The ideals behind marriage (in my opinion)is simple, it is to advocate kinship, nurture the next generation as well as letting the partners fulfill their longings as well as support each other. Throughout life, I feel, that we are in search for people to love, adoration, admiration, self-actualization. Often, people help, to be loved, often to please themselves, for them to love their personalities. Either way, it is mu humble belief, that humans by nature want to be loved, search for it, and are pleased to know that they can rely on someone during times of woe and dolor.
Now, to begin with answering the question itself. Has marriage failed, I feel it has not, but this is true, that the idea, and aura that marriage once held, has waned significantly in the modern era. I often see it hard for young women with strong ambitions, to give it up for a child. And I can comprehend, their frustration, that they are now answerable to a man. Regardless of what people say, I believe unequivocally, that marriage puts great constraints on both the individual's, freedom, may it be mental or personal. Marriage is defined by commitment from a man to a woman and that woman to a man. And this commitment, this bond is what keeps society together, and what allows society to produce more of its own. To answer your question forthrightly, the notion of marriage itself has changed. It is no longer seen with the honor and importance that was once bestowed on it by society. Marriage has not failed, it is a mere word and ordeal. But society has failed in keeping its value constant and consistent.
Now to address the sacrifice that women make. I was always raised by women, the majority of the co-workers from whom I have learnt life's lessons happen to be women. And in all of them, I saw no less ambition than a man, no less charisma than a man, no less wit than a man. So I asked myself, why must their ambitions be quelled, for the success of a society? Why?
I saw many women, who worked, very few of whom had chased their ambitions had happy lives, there are and forever will be exceptions, but I saw many many women, who loved their freedom, but there was always an emptiness in them. This is my opinionated thought. I do not know if you agree with me, but often, people have to make a choice, and for many women the choice of being a mother and being an honoree of society is something that is hard for them to make. And this is my opinion, that marriage is a must, it is a part of your life, a part of every healthy and normal human's life. Matrimony in my opinion is as fundamental to life as birth and death.
Now to answer my own question. The definition of ambition, of achievement is something that I feel society has gotten wrong. Is a successful marriage not an achievement? Is not seeing your offspring grow and learn from you, and know that you are what (mainly) causes their success? If you were in a job, you would have to sacrifice your freedom too would you not? I mean, you would have to work long hours, you would have to take orders from your boss, you would have to make sacrifices of your own time for the enhancement of your career.... But the fundamental difference I believe, is that for the house wife, who is a dedicated mother, the success of her ambitions lie in her children. The father is important too, but a mother is simply on a whole other level. Many people who I have talked to, said that "A man will control me", but is the office not controlling you, mentally and physically, does it not cloud your thoughts?
But often, people look down at the house wife, saying that she has not achieved. But what people get wrong, is that perhaps, she wanted to achieve something different. Many tell me that, well the job adds security. Yes, it does, but that is why you need to to make the choice of marriage with greater caution. But I also think both the partners in a marriage doing a job adds instability to it. But that is something else that I feel needs to elaborated at a better time.
