Feminists

and just finally saw this.

Yesterday on KQED Forum there was an interview about the growing number of people living as singles (not married). The percentage of people living this way has grown very much over the last 50 years....

The host reminded the listeners that the statistics are that women who marry live shorter lives than those that stay single. Men who marry live longer lives than those who stay single. Marriage appears then to be of a greater benefit to the male.

I personally have been against marriage as something that involves the government for maybe 30 years. I think it should be handled by religious institutions and then any partnership agreements should rest with local government as they relate to civil law. I am under the impression that this is how it is handled in most countries within the EU. I think clear partnership agreements where both parties know what they are getting into contractually would be far better for all rather than mixing romance with legal partnership agreements.

I know that when I was young and at a marrying age, I had no idea what financial burdens a marriage would create. I just wanted to be married like everyone else. As an older woman who has seen many a couple divorce (including same sex ones) my attitudes about it have matured into complete disapproval.

As a plant and animal breeder I know why it was institutionalized, to assure that the breeding pair reproduce without outside genes getting mixed in, but I thought that we were over treating ourselves as (primarily) reproductive units.