Tidbits #6 Marriage Stats and Anecdotes
In the early years, you fight because you don’t understand each other. In the later years, you fight because you do.” Joan Didion
Billions of dollars are now being spent on businesses which help us find a mate.
Who should be allowed to marry who, is one of the hot button political and religious issues
While getting paired up with a mate is easier than ever, fewer people now get married. Today, 50.2% of adults over 18 are single. Now that singles are in the majority we are going to elect the next President. The most obvious candidates are: Al Pacino, Bill Maher, Terrell Owens, Ralph Nader, Dennis Rodman, and Jon Hamm. Hmmm. Maybe Terrell would win. Forgot about Oprah Winfrey.
Full satisfaction marriages are more expected than ever: intimacy, support, stability, happiness and sexual exhilaration. If this proves elusive divorces are easier, cheaper, and almost expected by today’s society.
Those that go the distance statistically reap high satisfaction towards the end.
There are more enticements to stray today, and fewer penalties if you do.
In the past it was more of a disgrace to leave a marriage. Today, it is often considered a shame to stay in a troubled marriage.
How many people from various groups are still married with their first marriage at age 46? College graduates—69 %
whites—54%
Blacks—47%
Hispanics—51%
Those who didn’t finish high School—38%
Marriages to divorced people are less likely to last. The divorce rate in this group has doubled in the last 20 years.
While studies show married couples have better health and longevity than single people, this can be deceptive because the singles group includes people with health problems, the ugly, those with emotional disorders, mental disorders of any sort, and so on.
Divorced women have the highest poverty rates among all aged women.
People in their first marriage have more sex than those in their second marriage. Sex really does seem to be a most satisfying activity when young for most people. Perhaps it has something to do with changing looks or been there done that.
In the long term, children of divorced parents are more at risk of being poor, being unhealthy, having mental illness, not graduating college and getting divorced themselves.
The religious get divorced slightly less often than people of whom faith is not a big deal.
Statistically, sex once a week is the optimum amount for maximizing martial happiness.
Here’s an interesting stat; The biggest orgasms are usually the ones achieved in masturbation (sex with someone you love the most?)
Most of the stats above were taken from a Time Magazine Article. That ends here. Time now for wise-ass additions.
No wonder I never got married, this exercise is wrought with booby traps everywhere.
Of course many couples these days never marry for varied reasons but stay coupled in a marriage like state for varied lengths of time. I am pretty sure stats demonstrate that success of marriage depends little on whether the couple lived together before marriage or not.
It is interesting that sex for money is illegal but being a trophy spouse or gold digger is legal—all the way to the white house. I suppose that is one of the highest paid professions.
For such a serious endeavor, marriage and sex are the most popular subject matter for jokes.
I did approach someone to marry me once with this approach: ‘What would you say if I asked you to marry me?” The answer: “Nothing. I can't talk and laugh at the same time!
My guess for the most common marriage proposal: “You’re what?”
I asked a good friend: “Have you and your wife been real happy?” Reply: “My wife and I were happy for 20 years. Then we met”.
I really don’t need to get married, I already have auto-correction on my computer.
Another reason I never married is that I won’t get on one knee for someone who won’t get on two for me.
I tried to propose to a gal for 3 months, but she was impossible to interrupt.
I came came close once with Miss Right, but when filling out the marriage application I discovered her first name was ‘Always’.
I learned to propose with both her hands in mine. That way I avoid getting hit.
Actually I feared marriage since finding out marriage is the main reason for divorce. Plus one married guy told me when a thief stole their credit card he didn’t report it since the thief was spending less on it than the wife.
I came close to proposing once, but one time my dog was barking at the rear door to get in and she was yelling at the front door to get in. I let them both in, but the dog, once in, the dog shut up.
Another time, while on stage to get married the preacher said tornadoes and marriages are quite alike. They both begin with a lot of sucking and blowing, and in the end you lose your house. I ran out the back door of the church. Been running ever since. After all, my home is my castle, or if you prefer—a treasured clutter box. I mean why get married? We could just find a nice catch and give him/her a house.
For those of you whose nose got out of joint that I would write a musing on marriage, you can apologize now. I just used some stats and nonsense. I have noted though that Hollywood ravishing beauties seem to get divorced the most. I suppose, if our looks are up to that par, we are ever ready to hit another home run. God’s favorite group, the plain common people have to struggle like hell to find a match that remotely resembles what we are looking for, and then hang on in marriage for fear that the whole painful process would have to start over again. It was hard enough when we were young and not all scarred up from life.
