I feel secure in believing that one day staying married will once again be the norm.

Social and cultural norms are dynamic and change with time. Presently, perhaps society is a bit more narcissistic, the ME factor tends to provide an impetus to impulsive decisions in areas, such as marriage, that should be more thoroughly though out. This same ME factor is also a catalyst for divorce being viewed as a first option without even attempting to salvage the marriage.

The people who are the most influential on things such as marriage are not celebrities or popular politicians, rather one's immediate family, one's parents.

Like I said, as with most other trends in society, divorce rates may rise, but one day they shall fall as well.

Unfortunately, no. To many interests from corporate marketers, lawyers, social activists, hollywood and others, all promote lifestyles and expectations that drive people to be less satisfied and more likely to divorce. I regrettably don't think we will ever see the trend turn around.

Obama's marriage is unlikely to contribute to a new trend in that direction. Presidential fidelity has never been a positive driver of marriage. Think about Carter, Reagan, and Bush (1+2). Their marriages did nothing to stem the tide. Clinton's behavior clearly didn't help.

I feel confident that my generation (the 20-somethings) will actually begin to turn things around. A great deal of us are the products of divorce and have seen how damaging divorce can be for kids, other relatives, and lasting relationships on all fronts. I think most kids of divorced parents want to stay married, and are putting careful thought into their relationships. I think the recession will also help us, honestly. We're all becoming late starters: it takes longer to save enough to get a house, longer to get into a secure career, and longer to become financially stable. Things our parents were able to do at 25 are things we hope to be able to do by 30. As such, I think a lot of us are holding off on getting married, giving us more time to make sure we're with the right person. Even the fact that we "live in sin" and it's considered okay now should help us. We know what it's like to live with our partner 24/7 long before we get married. We've overcome the "who's going to do the laundry?" problem, and already have joint budgets and sometimes joint checking accounts. When you live together, it's hard to avoid seeing each other at your best and worst, and having conversations about values, kids, and money.

My parents are still married, but my partner's parents are long since divorced. I think when we get married, we'll stand a very good chance of staying married. My generation knows how the selfish "it's all about ME" parental attitude effects kids, and what a waste of time it is to marry someone you don't really want to be with.