In the past, the expectation of getting all our needs met by our spouse was not something expected by either partner. But married couples today have very high expectations for their marriage. Couples assume that marriage itself will provide them with personal self-fillment. This is a relatively new notion and places too much pressure and expectations of the marriage. Marital satisfaction is is important because happier marriages make happier people. In the article, The All or Nothing Marriage in the New York Times, Eli Finkel discusses whether he thinks the average marriage is better today than in previous decades.
