MARRIAGE ON TRIAL

Stratford Evening Post, Volume III, Issue 349, 2 May 1935, Page 5

MARRIAGE ON TRIAL

POPULAR IN FRANCE ONE COUPLE IN EVERY FIVE HAS A “TRYOUT” One young couple in every five in Franco today insist on “trying” married life for at least twelve months before entering into the civil or religious contract, writes The People. This statement is made in the memorandum of the Senate Committee on the proposed reform of the Divorce Law, which seeks to reduce to two years instead of three the period for which a couple must be separated before divorce becomes automatic. It is stated that the habit of giving marriage a trial before binding the parties legally has grown enormously of late, and that young peo pie, particularly, will not dream of being tied for life until they have seen whether it is possible for them to live happily together.

Common Habit

The Commission declares that the

same tendency is developing among older couples, and in consequence there is a falling off in the divorce suits, because couples do not marry when satisfied by the experimental life together that they are not suited to each other. It is stated that this habit is common among British and other foreigners residing in France. The period of probation is never less than 12 months, and is frequently as long

as five years. If children are born the couples are more disposed to go through legal ceremonies for the sake of legitimising the children, for in France, as in Scotland, subsequent marriage of the parents makes the children legitimate.

Where the people are satisfied that their hopes of children are not likely to be realised, they may separate after a year’s trial of life together. Among the professional classes the trial marriage is more and more the habit, and usually they continue to follow their respective callings until they have made up their minds about becoming legally united.

Holiday Trials

Social workers who supplied evidence to the Senate Commission de dare that it is now almost general for engaged couples to give married life a trial at least during their sum mer holidays before making a public announcement of the engagement, and hundreds of engagements are never announced because the couples have found out from their “trial” of double harness that they are not suited to each other.

In tlie better-class districts of Paris it is stated that at the present time one couple in every four who present themselves for civil or religions marriage have been living together for at least twelve months before deciding on marriage, and in

many cases there are one or more children before the legal knot is tied.