Folks,

According to this article in the Boston Globe, married people actually might make for bad neighbors when compared to others. Thought this might be of interest to some of you.

Am off to get my latte - that picture got me worked up a bit ... ha ha

See ya'll around.

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Source: Boston Globe

The  greedy marriage

Two scholars argue that good spouses can make bad neighbors


THE WEDDING SEASON is wrapping up, and many of the newly joined were no doubt advised that love is patient and kind. But now two Massachusetts sociologists say love can also be greedy.

More precisely, marriage can be greedy, according to Naomi Gerstel of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Natalia Sarkisian of Boston College, who have written a paper called "Marriage: the Good, the Bad, and the Greedy." Analyzing two nationwide social surveys, they found that married couples spend less time than singles calling, writing, and visiting with their friends, neighbors, and extended family. According to their research, married people are also less likely to give friends and neighbors emotional support and practical help, such as with household chores.

Gerstel and Sarkisian's research flies in the face of recent academic studies and political speeches arguing that marriage is the endangered cornerstone of a healthy society, benefiting the mental, physical, and financial well-being of children and adults, and, ultimately, their fellow citizens. They argue that marriage may actually, albeit unwittingly, have just the opposite effect - sapping the strength of American communities and diminishing our ability to think and act for the common good.

"Many, bemoaning the retreat from marriage, also mourn the loss of community," they wrote in the Fall 2006 issue of Contexts, a journal of the American Sociological Association. "What these nostalgic discussions do not recognize, ironically, is that marriage and community are often at odds with one another."

While some sociologists have applauded Gerstel and Sarkisian's questioning of conventional wisdom, critics dismiss the "greedy marriage" research, countering the findings with statistics that indicate a greater social involvement among married people. Others say Sarkisian and Gerstel ignore what really supports communities in the long term - the health and welfare of children.

"The purpose of marriage is to raise the next generation," says Kay Hymowitz, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. "And to call that greedy is just an astounding use of the term."

Gerstel and Sarkisian say that they have nothing against marriage. They argue that the nature of the institution in America has changed - in ways that can endanger both society and the marriages themselves. And on this point, it turns out, even their critics agree.

. . .

Over the last century, Americans have become more romantic about marriage, and that's not always a good thing, according to some scholars.

Through the mid-20th century, husbands and wives were expected to fulfill the culturally defined roles as breadwinners and homemakers, what sociologists call the "institutional marriage." But today, as a recent Gallup poll finds, 94 percent of young, unmarried women and men say their primary goal in marriage is finding a soul mate.

More here: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/09/16/the_greedy_marriage/?page=2