Starter marriage

A starter marriage is a first marriage that lasts five years or less and ends before the couple has children.^[1] The term is a play on the expression "starter home" and appears as one of the footnotes in Douglas Coupland's 1991 novel Generation X. However it did not enter common parlance until the publication of Pamela Paul's 2002 book, The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony.

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Paul analyzes historical trends in American matrimony, pointing out that Americans are getting married only slightly older now than 100 years ago, but that they are living decades longer. (In fact, Americans of Generation X are getting married at a rate closer to that of their grandparents than of their Baby Boomer parents.) She also claims that some young couples get married for reasons not strong enough to support a long relationship, and an increasing number of them end their marriages quickly. Paul's book was controversial in some circles for suggesting that these divorces are a good thing, if they happen quickly enough that the couple has not yet had children.^[2]

Paul's research consists mostly of census data analysis and interviews with dozens of young divorced people. Most of those with whom she spoke fell into certain 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 discusses the emotional wreckage left by these divorces and analyzes public policy that can minimize the damage.

The book came out at the same time as some highly public celebrity breakups, and this helped it garner enormous attention.

In 2005, Kate Harrison published The Starter Marriage: A Novel and Gigi Levangie Grazer published The Starter Wife both using or riffing off of Paul's use of the term. The latter became the basis for a USA miniseries of the same name in 2007.

Sources

• Website for the book

References

1. ^ The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony, Pamela Paul, Villard Books 2002, p.4
2. ^ Starter marriage: A new term for early divorce, USA Today, Jan. 29, 2002.