Teen Marriages, Where the “Chances of Success Are Enormous” Have you ever watched the show “Teen Mom” and wondered why most mothers are not with the father of their child? Well, most teenagers who get together don't last very long, just like teenage marriages don't last. Although not all of the couples on the show were married, most of them were together at some point and separated at some point as well. This is just one example that shows that most teenage marriages don't last. Although they always seem to fail, teenage marriages were very common in the past. Gordon B. Dahl states that “in ancient Rome, the appropriate minimum age was 14 for men and 12 for women” (Dahl 689). Since these early marriages are most likely to fail, it leads to divorce. Dahl also states that "women who marry as teenagers are two-thirds more likely to divorce within 15 years of marriage, compared to women who delay marriage" (Dahl 691). Such an early marriage was more appropriate then than today. Nowadays, most countries have laws that prohibit marriage before a certain age, without some form of approval. Teenagers may think that getting married at this time in their life is a good idea, but there are some things they don't consider. Some of these things that cause teen failureDahl adds that "children of teenage mothers also have lower birth weights, have a higher rate of infant homicide, are often victims of abuse and neglect, have problems academic performance and behavior at school and are likely to engage in criminal activities” (Dahl 691). The failure of teenage marriages has itself caused a decline in teenage marriages. Garber states that "the number of such marriages has declined, perhaps because young people realize that the chances of success are enormous.”