Interesting article on "the new marriage market" in this month's Atlantic Monthly:
Recent years have seen an explosion of male joblessness and a steep decline in men’s life prospects that have disrupted the “romantic market” in ways that narrow a marriage-minded woman’s options: increasingly, her choice is between deadbeats (whose numbers are rising) and playboys (whose power is growing). But this strange state of affairs also presents an opportunity: as the economy evolves, it’s time to embrace new ideas about romance and family—and to acknowledge the end of “traditional” marriage as society’s highest ideal.
Check it out here. It's worth reading the whole article (written by a single 39-year old woman), because she makes several interesting observations.
However, I'm not sure I buy her conclusions. In case anyone has any doubts I would like to shout from the rooftops that women have WAY more choices than just deadbeats and playboys! Since the beginning of time there have been deadbeats and playboys, and there have also been good, straight-forward guys. Present day is no exception. It's a matter of knowing how to discern who is who.
Recent years have seen an explosion of male joblessness and a steep decline in men’s life prospects that have disrupted the “romantic market” in ways that narrow a marriage-minded woman’s options: increasingly, her choice is between deadbeats (whose numbers are rising) and playboys (whose power is growing). But this strange state of affairs also presents an opportunity: as the economy evolves, it’s time to embrace new ideas about romance and family—and to acknowledge the end of “traditional” marriage as society’s highest ideal.
Check it out here. It's worth reading the whole article (written by a single 39-year old woman), because she makes several interesting observations.
However, I'm not sure I buy her conclusions. In case anyone has any doubts I would like to shout from the rooftops that women have WAY more choices than just deadbeats and playboys! Since the beginning of time there have been deadbeats and playboys, and there have also been good, straight-forward guys. Present day is no exception. It's a matter of knowing how to discern who is who.
