- Starter marriage
A starter marriage is a first
marriage that lasts five years or less and ends before the couple has children. ["The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony," Pamela Paul, Villard Books 2002, p.4] The term, a play on the expression "starter home ", appears as one of the footnotes inDouglas Coupland 's 1991 novel "". However, it did not enter common parlance until the publication ofPamela Paul 's 2002 book, "The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony".Paul analyzed historical trends in American matrimony, pointing out that, as of 2002, Americans were getting married only slightly older than 100 years before, but that they were living decades longer. (In fact, Americans of
Generation X are getting married at a rate closer to that of their grandparents than of theirBaby Boomer parents.) She also claimed that some young couples get married for reasons not strong enough to support a long relationship, and that an increasing number of them end their marriages quickly. Paul's book caused controversy for suggesting that thesedivorce s are a good thing, if they happen quickly enough that the couple has not yet had children. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2002-01-28-starter-marriage.htm Starter marriage: A new term for early divorce] ,USA Today , Jan. 29, 2002.]Paul's research consisted mostly of census data analysis and interviews with dozens of young divorced people, most of whom fell into one of several categories: people who got married to complete a "
power couple " life, to move out of their parents' houses, out of fascination with weddings, or because they had been dating a long time and marriage was easier than breaking up. Finally, Paul discussed the emotional wreckage left by these divorces and analyzed public policy that can minimize the damage.The book came out at the same time as some highly public celebrity breakups, including those of
Tom Green andDrew Barrymore , [”The Curse Of the InStyle Wedding,” Alex Kuczynski, "The New York Times", June 2, 2002]Angelina Jolie , ["Can This Divorce Be Saved? Marital mavens and their irreconcilable differences," Daphne Merkin, "The New Yorker," April 22, 2002]Jennifer Lopez , ["Q: What Do These Women Have in Common? A: They all had starter marriages", Michelle Ingrassia, "New York Daily News," January 24th 2002]Nicolas Cage andLisa Marie Presley , ["Til divorce do us part," Eleska Aubespin, "Florida Today," January 25, 2003] and socialiteNina Griscom . [” Why Few Big Breakups Make the Grade,” Alex Kuczynski and Linda Lee, "The New Yorker", August 25, 2002] This helped it garner enormous attention. [In all the articles cited above, Paul or her book was specifically quoted on the subject of divorce.]In 2005,
Kate Harrison 's "The Starter Marriage: A Novel" and Gigi Levangie Grazer's "The Starter Wife " referenced Paul's use of the term. The latter became the basis for aUSA Network miniseries of the same name in 2007.References
External links
* [http://www.startermarriage.com/ Website for the book]
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