Month: February 2024

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The Case for Marriage

This is a needed followup to the previous post.

Fra Filippo Lippi (Italian, Florence ca. 1406–1469 Spoleto) Portrait of a Woman with a Man at a Casement, ca. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Brad Wilcox’s new book, Get Married, emphasizes the benefits of marriage, including more sex, less loneliness, greater happiness, better-adjusted kids, and more meaning in life.

Wilcox teaches at the University of Virginia and he argues that a good marriage surpasses money, education, or job satisfaction in contributing to happiness. The article also explores the “Two-Parent Privilege,” highlighting the increased resources and commitment benefiting children in such households. The “Soulmate Trap” report from BYU’s Wheatley Institute critiques the notion of predestined soulmates, advocating instead for marriages built on agency, commitment, and intentional actions to foster flourishing relationships.

Many more details in this piece by DeseretNews.

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An Open Marriage Manifesto

Molly Roden Winter’s memoir, ‘More,’ explores the complexities and emotional challenges of open marriage through her personal journey. Despite initial expectations of liberation and happiness, Winter details a path marked by sadness, self-doubt, and the pursuit of self-worth amidst the dynamics of nonmonogamy.

Her candid account challenges the notion of open relationships as universally beneficial, revealing the deep emotional toll and quest for identity within the unconventional structure of her marriage.

“Roden Winter sobs in hotel rooms on work trips, she sobs in hotel rooms on sex trips, she sobs in her own Park Slope home. At one point, about two-thirds of the way through the book, she confronts Stewart: “‘If you want to protect me,’ I scream, ‘don’t keep making me do this! Stop dating Kiwi and whoever else and just be with me! Don’t you understand! I can’t do this anymore!’”

Read the full article on Commonweal Magazine’s website: An Open Marriage Manifesto?.

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The Fall of the Irish Mammy

Ireland is considering constitutional changes that may erase the traditional figure of the “Irish Mammy” from its legal texts, as part of broader amendments affecting definitions of family and marriage.

“Irish Cemetary Cross” by PhelanRiessen is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Ireland is holding a referendum on March 8—International Women’s Day—which, if the governing parties have their way, will mean the word “mother” is removed from Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Irish Constitution.

John Duggan

This move, highlighted in a referendum scheduled for International Women’s Day, (of all days) symbolizes a shift from the nation’s historic values and raises questions about the future representation of motherhood in Irish society. Critics and supporters alike are watching closely as Ireland decides on these culturally significant changes.

Irish writer John Duggan has some thoughts about this development.

Companion Post

The Disappearance of “Mother”

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