Transcript
Carol Markowitz (0:02)
Hi and welcome back to the Carol Markowitz show on iHeartradio. Last week I talked about the slew of articles about how women are staying single. The tone is very much you go, girl, with quotes on how happy they are and what they're doing. Instead of getting married and having families, they're traveling, they're building businesses or climbing in their careers. They're going to bed at 8pm snuggling their cat because that's what they want to do and no one is there to stop them. I've said on this show before, but all of that, even the early bedtime and the cat could be better and easier in a good relationship. I was a big traveler even before I started dating my husband. But having someone to travel with and combine resources, you know, whether that means money or planning or spending the dull parts of traveling, like the getting their part together and it's better with someone you're into. And I've talked about how my career took off when I got married. I was able to take chances and opportunities that I couldn't take when I was on my own. And that's a frequently missed angle of the whole career or family non debate. And I say non debate. I know people who listen to the show a lot know that I think this because I don't actually believe that anyone is choosing one or the other. As I've said, I think people lean into their career more when they haven't met someone to be with and then it becomes they've chosen career over a spouse when really the choice was kind of made for them. One of the stats I shared last week is the share of women age 18 to 40 who are single that is neither married nor cohabitating with a partner was 51.4% in 2023, according to an analysis of census data by the Aspen Economic Strategy Group. And that number's up from 41.8% in 2000. Now, I tried to find a similar stat for men to see what are men up to? And I came across this one from 2023 that I had seen before and I always find amusing. Among those 18 to 29 years of age, 63% of men versus 34% of women consider themselves single. And I remember when this stat came out and a lot of people were confused. How could it be that 63% of men are single, but only 34% of women are? But anyone familiar with the dating world knows exactly how a woman goes on four dates with a guy and considers him her boyfriend? A man goes on those same four dates and continues dating other people until they specifically have the talk about whether they're going to be exclusive. The man generally assumes they will not be. It's funny, because lately I've seen videos of young people in other countries marveling and kind of mocking Americans about the whole talk thing. Apparently when you go on some dates in France or Italy, you're together and that's it. Of course, those countries are also known for kind of loose standards of monogamy, especially for the men. So while I agree that needing to have that exclusivity talk is silly, at least American couples know where they stand. So I looked and I looked and it doesn't seem that men are getting the same glowy he just wants to stay single and hang out with his friends Soft pieces that single women do that's a tell to me that women are Being lied to A number of years ago my daughter started noticing that there were always shirts for sale that said stuff like Girls rule and girls run the world and it became obvious to her that boys didn't have similar clothing because the clothing aimed at girls was a lie. Or if not a lie, then maybe a fib to prop them up. And that's what's happening now with these articles about amazing singlehood that are only aimed at women. They're being lied to, maybe to make them feel better, but it's a lie nevertheless. Recent show guest Abigail Schreier had a really good piece on romantic comedies and love in general in the Free Press a few days ago ago. I'm going to read kind of a longer clip because I really enjoyed it. She writes. Every story involves daring, chance and above all, serendipity. Love, we are reminded again and again, is ultimately an act of surrender. Which is perhaps why our buy with one click era struggles when it comes to romance, why its technological wizardry invariably comes up short. We shop for mates online like we shop for clothing, determined to call up precisely and exclusively what we've already decided will please us. But real love can't be prime delivered like toilet paper. The precondition for romance, and especially of marriage, is our willingness to move beyond consumption to shift our focus from I need a foodie who loves rock climbing to imagining what you might give to another and create together. Sally and she's talking about When Harry Met. Sally would never have matched with Harry on hinge height alone would likely have pre weeded him. He of slim build and average looks, nothing like the boyfriend who couldn't commit to marrying her tall, agreeable blonde newcaster Handsome Joe. But rom coms exist to remind us that we don't know everything, not even about what we need. And that intimacy, like humor, involves surprise. Which also means we must be open to finding someone who isn't simply a reflection of ourselves. End quote. I love that. And that's what women and men need to be told. Love is amazing and you should want to find it. You can still travel and girl boss and have a cat and all of that will be better with someone. Thanks for listening. Coming up, my interview with Logan Lefkoff. But first, after more than a year of war, terror and pain in Israel, the need for security essentials and support for first responders is still critical. Even in times of ceasefire. Israel must be prepared for the next attack, wherever it may come from, as Israel is surrounded by enemies on all sides. 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