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A comment on Half the men in Seattle are never-married singles, census data shows. Parent comment

Re:Half the men in Seattle are never-married singles, census... by missedthecue on Sunday April 13, 2025 @05:25PM (#43675966)
In 12,000+ years of anthropological record, there are zero advanced civilizations (defined as having written language, urban centers, and some form of state apparatus) that didn't have the institution of marriage. Zero.

I'm worried a lot about the declining rates of marriage and family formation. I don't see a lot of good that can come from it.

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Re:Half the men in Seattle are never-married singles, census... by ben_w on Monday April 14, 2025 @04:23AM (#43679211)
The institutions, plural, of marriage varied wildly over that time.

Dowries vs. free, monogamy vs. polygamy, common law marriage vs. ceremony, wives being property vs. independent people, self-determined vs. marriages arranged by parents, and this biblical passage:

"Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him" (NIV, Matt 22:24)

And it's not like no country has implemented mandatory childcare payments outside wedlock.

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