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Marriage Insurance
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- Parent Category: Advanced News Lessons
- Category: Relationships Lessons
- Written by Chris Cotter
All sorts of online businesses come and go these days, from the legitimate to the fraudulent to the crackpot. Olu O. Eniwaye, a professor at Daytona State College in Ohio, thought up a new idea: sell marriage insurance online. After all, in the US alone, 50% of marriages are dissolved by divorce. There's added complexity in the relationship because couples continue to marry later in their lives. Both men and women bring more assets to the union, as well as debt.
Surprisingly, the idea of marriage insurance isn't such a new one. In England of the 1600s, insurance policies were regularly written for marriages and births. However, from today's point of view, many of these policies appeared more as wagers. England outlawed the practice in the early 1700s, and the idea has languished for some three hundred years.
Eniwaye's insurance policy offers financial remuneration for policy holders whose marriages end in divorce. Figures indicate that the combined wealth of couples increases some 16% for each year of marriage. Therefore, the insurance is financial safety net of sorts, providing a minimal amount of the lost wealth resulting from the termination of the marriage. Claim amounts range from $250 to $10,000, and annual premiums totaling $102.50 to $610. The idea developed as a result of Eniwaye's background in counseling.
Some people have questioned the veracity of the idea. One such individual is John Logan, who filed a consumer-fraud complaint. The primary problem: Eniwaye doesn't have a license to sell the insurance, which makes it a felony punishable by a fine and/or prison time. Eniwaye has denied the charges.
Preview some of the lesson material:
Warm Up: Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- Marriage is the most important part of adulthood.
- Marriage is the most difficult part of adulthood.
- Too many marriages end in divorce these days.
- I never want to get married!
- I will never get divorced... no matter what!
True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) whether the sentence is true or false. If false, correct the sentence.
- All over the world, roughly 50% of marriages end in divorce.
- Marriage insurance has been around for more than three hundred years.
- Married couples get roughly 16% wealthier each year.
- People can get as much as $10,000 from marriage insurance.
- Because Eniwaye doesn't have an insurance license, he will go to jail.
post-Comprehension: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers!
- What do you think about marriage insurance? Please explain.
- Would you recommend a friend or family member to buy marriage insurance? Why/not?
- Why are there so many divorces these days? What can be done to lower the rate?
- What is the future of marriage? Please explain.
- What advice would you give a couple whose marriage is in trouble?
Google Search: Type "marriage insurance" into Google. Look at the websites, and/or read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings.
