[Sir Krustin]

I think that the increased rate of marriage breakups (and then general lack of respect for the institution) is a matter of selfishness.

There are too many people that want instant gratification, and aren't willing to take responsibility for the results of their actions. No commitment, just the pleasure of the moment.

I'm not going to get into women in the past being imprisoned in bad relationships, or home violence, or anything like that but you might want to think about the general lack of stability in a society that doesn't take the nuclear family seriously.

It's well known that Soviet Russia (shortly after the revolution) disdained marriage, seing it as an outdated western tradition. Within a few short years, their society was falling apart (much like western society today, in fact) high rates of juvenile crime, etc. It didn't take them long to do an about face, and basically make it mandatory to be married if you wished to pursure a carnal relationship - violations were severely punished (at least for the plebes [img]smile.gif[/img] ).

Without a stable family structure to grow in, and caring parents to nurture them (*both* parents) kids just don't grow up to be fully functional members of society. I see it all the time. I also see the counterexamples - strong families with devoted parents bringing up happy, well balanced children.