by Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D
Published at ToTheSource.org April 7, 2007.
When students go back to school, will they practice for divorce or prepare for marriage? That’s the question I asked myself as I read the recent Pew Center Report on the Generation Gap. The report shows that young Americans are fed up with the divorce culture. Unfortunately, many of those same young people are embarking on a lifestyle that is setting them up for marital failure: cohabiting in their co-ed dorms. (more…)
The Decline of Marriage: An Inexorable Force of Nature or a Carefully Constructed Movement?
by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse
(first published in) National Review On-line
January 23, 2007
The New York Times recently published an article touting that women are happier and have more freedom when divorced. The writer of this article obviously didn’t do enough homework. (more…)
by Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D
The New York Times reported that marriage is phasing out while cohabiting is phasing in. Cohabitors fear the mistakes of their divorced parents. Sadly, they don’t realize that their behavior is heading them in the same direction. (more…)
Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse
When you have a reputation as a defender of marriage, you’ve got to deal with the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. This week, I got an e-mail that was definitely Not Good.
Dear Dr. J
“I’m part of group of 5 men. We all work together; we are all married, with children. Our ages range from 35 to 45. All but one of us sleeps in the basement because our wives don’t really want us very badly. The youngest of our group does not yet sleep in the basement but he reports the same frustration that moves all of us there. Sharing a bed with a woman who does not want you is painful.
“Oh, she wants you to pay the bills and be a father to your children, but she doesn’t want you. It’s difficult to just leave when you know you’ve created responsibilities, but it is pretty clear she’d rather you just left.
“It’s entirely possible that all 5 of us are losers, bad lovers and just plain whiners. It’s possible, but it’s statistically highly improbable. All 5 of us have good jobs; all but one has an advanced degree. We live in pleasant houses in safe neighborhoods.
“So pardon us if when we read the phrase “abandoned their wife” we are more inclined to believe that is was a “sotto voce ejection”.”
Mr. No Name.
OK Ladies: Can we talk? (more…)
by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D.
First published at Townhall.com on October 17, 2005.
Marriage is the most basic unit of social cooperation. If spousal cooperation breaks down, the available substitutes are expensive and inadequate. I’ve always talked about this as a fiscal and political issue. Now an adult child of divorced parents makes the same point from a psychological perspective. Elizabeth Marquardt’s book, Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce , tells the poignant story of kids trying to make sense of their worlds after divorce. Even when the parents are conscientious and loving, the children still struggle to resolve conflicts that are usually an adult responsibility, not a child’s. (more…)
