War, Marriage, and Ukraine

 

This guest post is from Regent Law 3L Isaiah Klassen, current Wills, Trusts, & Estates student:

War appears to be positively correlated with marriage. After Putin invaded Ukraine unprovoked, the marriage rate in Ukraine increased significantly. For example, in one region, there were 1,600 marriages within six weeks of the invasion – the same region, before the war, had 1,300 marriages for a whole year. In Kyiv, there was over an 800% increase in marriage from 2021.

Part of this effect appears to come from martial laws in Ukraine permitting a speedier marriage process, allowing the application and the marriage to occur virtually on the same day.3 However, it is unlikely that this is the only reason. For example, during the height of World War II, there was an 83% increase from a decade earlier, even though the marriage rate was already considerably higher than it is today. The prospect of death – a literal life-and-death situation – does change one’s perspective. One Ukrainian bride said it this way, “We decided not to postpone life until later because, as this war has shown us, later might never happen.”

For me, there is a personal aspect to this story: my girlfriend is from Ukraine, and her father is on the frontlines in Ukraine. The prospect of death should change how we make decisions and how we treat others – we never really know how long we are here.

Perhaps, King Solomon said it best, “Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2 (New Living Translation).