My speech

Marriage is not necessary

"I, Yejun,
Take you, (Robert Patitson)
To be my (husband)
To have and to hold,
From this day forward,
For better, for worse,
For richer, for poorer,
In sickness and in health,
To love and to cherish,
'Till death do us part."

But only 51%, of Americans have said 'I do'. And with divorce rate of 49% today, marriages are unlikely to last. According to Pew research center, only 44% of adults aged from 25 to 34 years old are married. That's an extremely sharp decrease from 1960, when 82% of the same age group was married. Although marriage is not mandatory, parents often urge their daughters to get married because they want the best possible future for her. But the truth is, there is not a big difference in the happiness rate between the unmarried and married! So that's why I think people should avoid marriage at all costs.

We marry to prove that we love each other. But do we really need a piece of paper with 'marriage certificate' printed with cursive writing to prove love? That's why Catherine Crew 29 and Howy Diamond 32, who are from LA, have been living together for 3 years and 7 months but see no need to get married. Catherine quoted that they are “already happy” and see no need to take that extra step. Devara Cone, a researcher at the Pew research center, also mentioned that today, most people don't disapprove of you if you live alone or if you live with an unmarried partner, like they did in the past. Now, turns out on average, Americans now spend half their adult lives outside marriage - many living alone. In 2009, approximately 7 million couples live together but aren't legitimately married.

Unlike Disney movies, marriages don't always end up with “Happily ever after.” In fact, married women are more likely than single women to be depressed. There is no evidence why depression is more likely to happen to spouces. But maybe because spouces on average do 2.5 hrs of cleaning per day when men do 1.3 hours. Or because they do 88% of the laundry and iron 5,3000 pieces of clothing each year? And funnly enough, that may be the reason why 93% of divorces are initated by women.

Last, but not least, half of workers in America are female. Femals also run some of the world's best companies, such as PepsiCo, Archer Daniels Midland and W.L. Gore. And not conincidently, it's again the femals who earn 60% of university degrees in America and Europe! That's why we deserve a better qulity of life than to stay home and do house work for our husbands who hinders us from staying at Macy's for a long time! I know you may be thinking that just because a woman is married, they don't have to stay home all day. But when a child gets involved, spouces have no choice but to stay home and look after the kids becuase day care cost is expensive.

In conclusion, by 2026, 70% of American population will be living in a single-person households. That shows how more adults are making the right choice. But if you still believe that a diamond ring and the puffed up white dress will magically create happiness for you, always remember that only 3 things in life matter. money, shopping, and living fullest to your dream. Seriously, men are a luxury, not a necessity.