4 ms·

It encourages people to get married when perhaps they do not wish to do so, thus increasing divorce.

• anamax 15y ago
  > It encourages people to get married when perhaps they do not wish to do so, thus increasing divorce. There's divorce, and then there's divorce. No kids, not much of a problem. Economically, they're better off together, but .... Unwed parents are a disaster for both society and the kid(s). It's pretty much a guarantee of long-term poverty. Having kids is almost always a choice, a choice that has huge consequences.
  • malbs 15y ago
    > Unwed parents are a disaster for both society and the kid(s). It's pretty much a guarantee of long-term poverty. on what basis? My partner and I had our 3 children out of wedlock. Who are you to say that unwed parents is a lock-in to food stamps and crime? Next you'll be blaming unwed parents for the break down of the fabric of society. You are way out of line.
    • ars 15y ago
      If you are living exclusively together long term you are effectively married even if you don't have a paper saying so. Some states call it common law marriage, but even if they don't you are still effectively married. Marriage is not a piece of paper, marriage is a family structure.
    • temphn 15y ago
      Relatively few people who have three children out of wedlock are "Smalltalk hackers". Just sayin'.
  • anamax 15y ago
    It's great that you're providing a stable home, however that's the exception for unwed parents. Typically, the father wanders off and provides no support. None of the mother's options at that point are as good as a stable marriage/long-term relationship with the kid's father. That's how the statistics work out. We can argue about why that happens, but it's absurd to suggest that it doesn't. Parents' choices, and having kids is almost always a choice, have consequences.