A starter marriage is a first marriage that lasts five years or less and ends without the couple having any children together. The term, a play on the expression "starter home", appears as one of the footnotes in Douglas Coupland's 1991 novel Generation X. However, published usage of the term grew significantly after the publication of Pamela Paul's 2002 book The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony.

　　Starter marriage (“起步婚姻”或“新手婚姻”) 指双方初婚、婚姻持续时间不到五年且没有子女的婚姻。这个表达由starter home(首次置业)演变而来，初现于(加拿大小说家)道格拉斯•柯普兰1991年的小说《X世代》的脚注中。不过，这个表达在出版物中大量使用则是在帕米拉•保罗2002年的著作《新手婚姻与婚姻生活的未来》出版之后。

　　She claimed that some young couples get married for reasons not strong enough to support a long relationship, and that an increasing number of them end their marriages quickly. Paul's book caused controversy for suggesting that these divorces are a good thing, if the couple have not had children.

　　帕米拉•保罗指出，有些年轻夫妻结婚时的理由不够充分，不足以维持一段长久的关系，因此他们中很多人的婚姻很快就结束了。因为在书中暗示如果没有孩子的话，这些婚姻结束是一件好事，保罗的这本书曾引发争议。