[Destro]

So it seems heterosexuals have given up on traditional marriage and homosexuals have embraced the concept? The gay fools!

Howard Stern of all people explains it best. Marriage in the Western world has become a legalistic and expensive institution. Men will not increasingly accept the inequities of the marriage contract and the potential crippiling divorce built into the system. Would you sign a business contract with clauses that resembled a wedding contract's clauses? No man would.

PS: I should also add that with sex easily available now plus the crippling cost to a working man that marriage entails also means that marriage becomes a less attractive alternative for the Western world.

[NYpeanut]

Ya know, I read a lot of bitter stuff about marriage at FR written by men, but I hear similar tales from the other side every day at work. Sad stories of fathers who never, or seldom, call or visit their children, and tales of child support that is sporadic at best. Always two sides to every story, I guess. The other side just doesn't hang out at FR; too busy keeping things together. It's too bad it all comes down to the dollar cost of raising children.

[Lorianne]

Six of one, half a dozen of another.

Men (and everyone) in Scandinavia support "the family"through higher taxes. One way or another men and women support "the family". The only difference is ... is it a livable society or an intolerable one.

My understanding is that Scandinavia is a country largely free from poverty and crime. So their system seems to work even though they pay extremely high taxes. Either way, there is no free lunch. If you want a stable comfortable decent life ... you have to PAY for it. Either through traditional or non-traditional means.

In our country we are trying to have our cake and eat it too ... trying to be free of both traditional adult responsibilities to the family AND against high taxes to support the family. The result is a higher crime/poverty rate and less stable society.