Here we are again at that time of the year when we are encouraged to replace our eggnog with diet shakes and to join some weight loss program or another. One (somewhat annoying) commercial this year features a boney actress swinging her hips erratically while proclaiming, “This program saved my marriage!” Repeated viewing of this ad has led my kids to ask, what kind of man would leave his wife just because she gained a few extra pounds?
Tag: marriage (Page 2 of 5)
When I walked away from my four-year marriage, many years ago, friends and family members wanted to know why I would leave what they had believed to be a happy marriage. That wasn’t an easy question to answer, not for me and especially not for the man I was leaving.
Women are to blame for bringing an end to marriage. The evidence is fairly straightforward; spending more time in school, and earning higher incomes, made women angry and that “pissed off” men; so pissed off, in fact, that they have decided to never marry. Ever.
Marriage just isn’t what it is used to be. And while that might not be news, there is new research suggesting that changing marriage patterns predict a trend towards more cautious household investment behaviour.
It seems that the underproduction of household goods and services is a significant problem that is so severe economic researchers have proposed a solution that even they admit is politically incorrect – force married women pay higher income taxes than their husbands.
Looking for a satisfying sex life? According to new research in the Journal of Sex Research, your best bet is to marry someone who is as well-educated, and employed, as yourself. That’s bad news for women (and men) in an era in which equally well-educated partners are hard to find.
Here’s a question I have been struggling for years: Why do we marry? I am not confused about the desire to have a wedding – the pretty dress, standing before family and friends, the party – that part I get. It’s the need to seek the government seal of approval of the marriage that challenges me.
Have you ever come across a dating profile that includes the phrase, “I won’t settle for less than perfect, and neither should you”? It seems that the vastness of the online dating market has encouraged a change in attitude among singles away from “I could do worse” towards “I could do better.”
I can’t shake this feeling that access to online dating is actually making it more difficult for men and women to find love. I know that sounds counterintuitive, especially from a market perspective, but what should have been a useful tool to encourage matching has encouraged a response that is best described as “relationship greed”. And that effect has left many singles still searching long after they would have found a partner on a traditional dating market.
If you were to guess the macroeconomic variable that had the widest impact on sexual behavior over the past fifty years, what would you choose? Personally, I would choose the one that increased the age of marriage, reduced teen pregnancy rates, gave women more control of their relationships, and more – relative female wages.
