To: Arik T.G. who wrote (5337 ) 6/12/2000 10:19:00 AM From: flatsville Respond to
OT--www2.gol.com jil.go.jp A survey of new brides reported that only 12% expected their marriage to be happy.24 There is an old Japanese saying, "Kekkon wa josei no hakaba de oru" which translates as "marriage is a women's grave."25 One author noted that "Japanese still regard marriage not as the culmination of a romance but as a commitment that is primarily social and practical in significance."26 "Divorce is no longer concentrated in the initial period of marriage, and the presence of children has lost its genuine power to prevent couples from terminating marriage. Although payment of the expenses of bringing up children cannot be expected to a great extent from ex-husbands, a majority of divorce petitions come from women. The fact that middle-aged women initiate divorce despite the presence of children indicates the signicant changes in women's life circumstances. With increased economic opportunities and independence, women no longe are forced to endure unwanted marital relationships due to dependence on male breadwinners. Expanded work opportunities give women a greater range of family choices. Back to the marriage issue- I believe that the rate of success is so low because the maintenance and success of marriage is not prioritized. People prefer to invest their time and efforts at work over their families and the outcome is obvious. This is a moral choice.<<< Women who postpone marriage to their to their 30's are most likely to be pursuing careers. Being single for them can be understood as resulting from the choice typically between marriage and work. Marriage is more costly for women than men because they are called upon to reconcile the competing demands of work and family responsibilities whereas men have come to rely on their wives to take primary responsibility for family obligations, freeing them from family chores. Men's expectations toward marriage have changed little, but women are more ambivalent to marriage in the present society which is organized upon a rigid gender division of labor. This is especially so for women who do not want to be conned to family raising throughout their lives. Once they withdraw from the workplace due to childbearing and rearing, they have little opportunity to resume their careers and are compelled to take low paying, unchallenging part-time jobs that accomodate their family schedules. Women see more constraints in marriage than men, given the present societal organization.<<<
