Found this fascinating. It's all changing. "Friends or their Own careers fulfill some Women." This from Fox 12:

http://www.kptv.com/family/17221547/detail.html

Trust me, a lot of men feel the same way, they just haven't taken a poll. I'm 43 and have no desire to get married. Why should I? There isn't enough tax incentive, they are too busy giving those to the millionaires. You play hell finding a family wage job anymore, and let's not forget a 50% or more divorce rate. If you want me to have a family, that ISN'T a society entitlement, you have to give me the elements it take to make me succeed. They haven't, so I won't.

Aok- my wife and I have been married for over 32 years. When it works it's great. But if it is not the right person. You have the right idea. regards

I think you have enter into a committed relationship with the right attitude and screw societal norms.

Absolutely agreed.

Have you ever thought that you might be a Lesbian AOK? (And I don't mean that as an insult)

No offense, but it's incredibly naive to think that just because someone doesn't want to get married they may be gay!

I'm 41 and have no desire to get married, either. Then again, I see marriage as most important if you are planning to have/raise kids. If not, I don't think it's so important. Why would I want to go through the financial entanglement? Clearly the piece of paper deeming two people "married" means nothing anymore in terms of actual commitment, given the astronomical. I would consider a long-term relationship that lasts for the rest of our lives, but I don't see a need to make it "legal." To me, the emotional and personal commitment is more important than the (largely meaningless) legal commitment.

And trust me, I am 100% sure I'm not gay.

Andrew

If my wife and I had our druthers I doubt we would have gotten legally married. My wife had been married before, and like Andrew stated a piece of paper doesn't make a marriage.

We did want kids and chose to pay the $60 for the license to be seen as a legally married couple. But we would have been content to live with each other. However my wife retained her maiden name as her legal name and I was in total support of her decision. Our kids have four names. Two middle names one being her maiden name.

I have several single friends over 50 who have never been married and none of them are gay or lesbian. Then again I have several gay and lesbian friends in the same situation.

Chris, are you SURE you're a Republican?

I'm not. I'm a registered Independent as of earlier this year. And still a Christian too. Love to write that for Herb and Broadway.

I don't think that it was that long ago that an unmarried person in his or her thirties or older would have been considered somewhat of an oddity. I'm glad that this taboo is largely gone.

Me too! Both my uncles never married and at the time it was always looked upon as strange. Turns out they were just ahead of the curve!

I think it's quite possible that both sexes got what they asked for: the other to stop being so "dependant" and "get a life"...so everybody did. Then, we got really busy doing that to the exclusion of being together.

I don't mean that in a sarcastic way: I've been married, and enjoyed it. Was heartbroken when things couldn't be repaired... Would do it again.

Research has indicated that men don't emotional mature until about 28 years of age.

Men and women are getting married later, around 27 yrs of age these days. I got married at 30. Loved being single, love being married.

Marriage is also going through changes. I know a handful of stay at home men. Once baby is done nursing wife goes back to work and the hubby stays home. If the baby didn't nurse, wife went back to work sooner.

There are just some people that getting married and having kids is not for them. God bless for them for realizing this and not over-populating an already full planet of people.

>>I'm a registered Independent

my wife has been a long time indy...great...now we get more junk political mail cause of it...

Actually my junk mail from Independents is pretty much zilch.

However the junk mail wanting me to return to the GOP has skyrocketed. Phone calls too.

I think statistically divorce rate is now slightly over 50%, so kudos to those that shack up and say FORGET MARRAIGE!

Marriage .. bah.

Chris is right - marriage is but a piece of paper, and a damn expensive one to burn if it doesn't work out! As I go through divorce, I reflect and kick myself for getting married again. Had I known ...

You can have a loving, committed, caring relationship with someone you love very much without getting married. I know that for many, it is an institution they believe in. People like Steve who have been married for so long, it's truly great. But, that seems to be the exception rather than the norm.

I tell most women I know that if they want something that matures, go to the bank and buy a certificate of deposit. What we all do is find someone with an acceptable level of immaturity that we get along with and want to spend time with.

The only thing that sucks is when you love someone (and really mean it), and they either want to just be friends or is into the whole "soul mate" thing and doesn't think there's enough in common between you and them.

I figure one of these days I'll meet someone who likes me as much as I like them, and we mutually accept each other for who we are, not some crazy idea that one of us could change the other in a way we don't want to be changed. That day hasn't come yet.

Getting married for tax purposes is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard of... if so many marriages are out of "necessity" or for the wrong reasons, then no wonder why more than half end in divorce. I know there's some out there that say the debate over who can be legally married can be solved by the government getting out of the marriage business and simply grant licenses to whoever or whatever... I have what I think is a better solution:
Stop government-sanctioning of marriage entirely. Say that it is a religious ceremony for religious benefit reasons. Then, churches themselves could decide how/if they wanted to marry people. Since the government would no longer recognize marriages, everyone goes back to filing their own taxes, period.

I know that sounds crazy, but it's a different solution than anything else so far.

I think so too, and I've been married for a long time. 20+

Back then, it was part luck that we got together for the RIGHT reasons. We found that out over time, as we have been tested, and tested, and (I've had enough thanks!) tested....

Chris (and welcome back man!), my GOP mail is way up also. Being a switcher, it seems they NEVER, EVER, FORGET. Lots of it says GOP too, not Republican.

Everybody knows what happens when too many people vote Republican.

"Everybody knows what happens when too many people vote Republican."

Yup, we get an education on the state of our voting system.

>>Everybody knows what happens when too many people vote Republican

A McCain and Palin in the Whitehouse?

Sorry...