On Nov. 5, St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison overturned Missouri’s ban on gay marriage, citing a violation of the due process and equal protection clauses in the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster immediately appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court of Missouri, so the constitutional challenge could be “presented to and resolved” at that level. However, unlike several other states, he did not rule a stay on marriage licenses being given to same-sex couples.

So, for the time being, Missouri is finally allowing marriage licenses to be given to same-sex couples, becoming part of the national trend toward marriage equality for all. At this time, 32 states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage.

For some, this national trend towards marriage equality is unwelcome, but to most, the continued rulings towards marriage equality have been extremely well received.

Regardless of which side you choose, there is something to be said about the change that the idea and institution of marriage has undergone over the past generation.

Recognizing these changes, we decided we would talk about how the same-sex marriage rulings, as well as other trends regarding marriage, have changed the ways we perceive marriage.

The first topic we discussed is the changing societal pressures to marriage. Many of us recounted stories of grandmothers of ours that were pressured into marrying around the age of 20 because all of their friends were doing it and there was a man that liked them. Some of these marriages have lasted, while others have ended in divorce. We noticed that such pressures existing today would look absurd. At least on an urban campus, married 20-year-olds are seen as exceptional rather than normative. However, we noticed too that the older one becomes, the more likely they are to be asked by relatives and parents about a special someone, or even grandkids. Around the age of 30, marriage with someone is seen as expected from peers and elders. While the same pressures of the bygone age no longer exist, there are still vestiges of that legacy.

The second aspect of marriage we discussed is the will to marry. While most of our Editorial Board has at the least a vague expectation of getting married in their future, there are a few that have decided against it. One cited the incompatibility between marriage and their ideal lifestyle. One other stated that they would not marry until all people in the U.S. would be allowed to marry, even those in the holdout states situated primarily in the South.

In wanting everyone to be allowed to marry first, the Editor discussed the connection between privilege and marriage. Currently there are 1,138 benefits, rights and protections provided on the basis of marital status (debunking the claim that same-sex couples are only looking for a piece of paper to validate their love). These benefits extend to tax benefits and health insurance protection and are provided by the federal government. The Editorial Board generally agreed that these federal benefits are fine to have, as they promote national stability, but agreed that such benefits, rights and protections should be inclusive of all people.

With the pressures to marry loosening and more people deciding marriage is not for them, our conceptions of marriage continues to change, adapting to present circumstances. Regardless of what marriage means to each of us, we’re excited that same-sex couples are now afforded the same opportunities as heterosexual couples.