以往的统计数据表明，美国成人的结婚率已降至历史最低水平。日前，来自俄克拉哈马中央大学和康奈尔大学（the University of Central Oklahoma and Cornell University）的研究回答了为何出现这一现象的根本原因，即如今约有2/3的同居男女怕结婚或暂时不考虑结婚，其原因是这些情侣害怕因离婚带来的情感、经济、社会和法律等方面的负面影响或后果。

面对这样的局面，不知道大家持何观点？但我的观点是“任何事情都有风险，婚姻也一样，结婚离婚都很正常，任何事情一旦发生都应该勇敢地去面对，如果一对青年男女经过一段时间的了解、甚至是共同生活后，彼此都对对方基本认可就应该走进婚姻的殿堂，毕竟同居与结婚还是有着本质上的差别，为何不去体验呢？怕离婚吗？不敢担当吗？根本没有必要！”。这就是我关于婚姻的观点！

Fears of Divorce May Be Keeping Many Young Couples From Marriage: Study

Two-thirds of cohabitating couples said they worried about fallout from a legal split

FRIDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Fears about the emotional, financial, social and legal consequences of divorce explain why the percentage of married adults in the United States has reached an all-time low, researchers report.

The study of 122 people in cohabitating couples found that 67 percent said they worried about having to deal with the fallout of divorce, the University of Central Oklahoma and Cornell University researchers said in a Cornell news release.

Compared to working-class people, their middle-class counterparts had a more favorable view of marriage and regarded cohabitation as a natural stepping stone to marriage.

Lower-income women were especially likely to have doubts about the "trap" of marriage. Many believed it would lead to more domestic responsibilities with few benefits or that it could hard to get out of a marriage if things go wrong.

The researchers also found that cohabitating working-class couples were more likely to view marriage as "just a piece of paper," that would be nearly the same as their existing relationship.

These couples were twice as likely to have fears about being stuck in a bad marriage once they became reliant on their partner's share of income.

The study was published in the December issue of the journal Family Relations.

The findings could help premarital counselors devise lessons that ease fears of divorce and address the specific concerns of various socioeconomic classes, the researchers said.

SOURCE: Cornell University, news release, Dec. 18, 2011