Partnership Marriage

As a result of changes in the social fabric of American society over the past sixty years, marriage has undergone a dramatic transformation. At this time, not only is marriage slowly being made legally possible for all people state by state, but also couples interested in marriage are looking to create an enduring, loving partnership that is grounded in equality, equity and choice. Such a life-long partnership is possible through couples learning how to have conversations in which they can design their lives together across every stage of their marriage.  Married couples that learn to attend to and be effective in having such conversations are better able co-create the life they desire together.  The kinds of conversations a couple learns to engage in have a significant impact on the quality of their marriage and on the foundation of their partnership.

What couples want today are the choice and the responsibility to co-create and design their lives together. In today’s marriage, it is important for both spouses to have choice over their career, their lifestyle, their family aspirations and their future. They don’t want their roles and responsibilities to be dictated by societal institutions. Women, like men, want to be free to pursue a career. Many more men, like women, want to participate in raising their children and in the routines of the household. Both individuals in the marriage also want to know that they are equal contributors in their marriage and they have equity or fairness in their roles and responsibilities.  This requires couples to be able to negotiate and talk about anything and everything that impacts the quality of their marriage. It requires couples to be able to communicate effectively with each other and to have many more conversations than were required in earlier times.

The kinds of conversations that a couple routinely engages in over time have a profound impact on what is possible in their committed relationship and on the quality of the couple’s experience of their relationship. The quality of a couple’s conversations shape their experience of fulfillment, balance, and vitality in their lives and their expression of possibility, passion and partnership in their committed relationship.

Elysian Enterprises offers innovative programs to couples that are committed to an enduring, fulfilling partnership marriage.  These courses, called Partners in Living, provide a curriculum for couples in every stage of marriage and are designed to help couples design their lives together and have the conversations that will make a difference in the quality of their relationship over time.