DESACRALIZATION OF MARRIAGE: What’s Changing Among the New Generation?
Once the ultimate symbol of commitment, union, and fidelity, marriage was long perceived as a sacred and essential institution. Today, its reality seems quite different, to the point that some speak of its desecration. Between the rise in divorces, the growth of cohabitation, and the normalization of free unions, marriage no longer appears indispensable to a couple’s happiness. Are we witnessing a genuine desacralization of the institution, or is it simply a redefinition in response to the demands of the modern world? An investigation.
Historically defined as the union of a man and a woman founded on love and sealed before God and humankind, marriage is now experiencing a gradual loss of its symbolic value. This shift affects the entire social fabric as well as various religious denominations.
For Father Parfait Noumonvi, desacralization is an undeniable reality. For Catholics, marriage is a covenant founded on the free consent of the spouses: “The matrimonial covenant by which a man and a woman establish a lifelong community.”
While the Church recognizes the natural, social, civil, and divine nature of this union, the priest points out that the current crisis is exacerbated by contemporary “cultural, social, and media conditions.” Infidelity, escapism in the face of marital difficulties, the excessive pursuit of material possessions, and the aspiration for unlimited freedom are all factors that weaken commitment. Few are still willing to fully commit “for better or for worse,” making separation an easy solution at the slightest obstacle.
The same observation can be made regarding the Muslim faith. In Islam, marriage is a legal and spiritual contract aimed at establishing a home, preserving chastity, and fostering mutual fulfillment. Imam Issa Mohamed Awali, of the central mosque in Yarakinin, reminds us that marriage represents « half of the faith. » Yet, he too observes an erosion of the sacred, which he attributes to: a lack of preparation and ignorance of marital rights and responsibilities; increased financial independence for women coupled with the abdication of some men from their family responsibilities; and the trivialization of the spiritual dimension of marriage.
(It should be noted that, contrary to popular belief, Islam also encourages civil marriage to guarantee and legally protect the rights of each spouse.)
Faced with the daily failures, separations, and marital suffering, the new generation is adopting a much more pragmatic approach. Marriage is no longer seen as an obligatory step dictated by social pressure, but as a highly strategic personal choice.
This philosophy is shared by many young people, like Germain Aloze: “I prefer to take the time to build myself up and invest in my ambitions before considering such a commitment. For me, marriage should be a carefully considered choice, not simply a step imposed by society.”
Priority is now given to personal, professional, and financial stability before considering formalizing a union.
Between tradition and modernity: what future for marriage?
While marriage has profoundly changed in its perception, it leaves no one indifferent. For some, it remains an ideal of love, stability, and the cornerstone of the family unit. For others, it has become a mere administrative formality that no longer offers any guarantee of fidelity or permanence.
Faced with these profound changes, the key perhaps lies in balance, as Father Noumonvi summarizes: it is about “living in this world with discernment in order to wisely choose what truly leads to happiness.” »
By Edwige GADEDJI (Intern)
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