Curious about marriage versus long-term partnership logic thoughts.

[Squinch]

38. Ida, you say in your post:

"There is a stereotype that a woman wants security in a relationship; for me, it was a true thing." From this I get that you believe that marriage actually gives some security, and that the security is something that women benefit from.

I think statistics and very cursory observation indicate that neither of those things is true.

The assumption that marriage will provide any kind of security, I think, is a delusion that many women fall prey to. More than half of marriages end in divorce. Others end up with wives who depend on the husband for security, and who lack the means to earn enough to care for themselves and their children. They depend on the husband who may or may not hold up his end of the deal. I can't imagine a less secure way to live.

I always felt much safer in my relationships with a lot of leverage. No one provides my security but me, so no one can take away my security. Marriage affords some legal and financial benefits that living together doesn't, but I don't think those benefits are really beneficial to women.