Marianne has a naked breast because it’s an allegory, you cretin

[Elok]

Aeson, I'm talking about more than joint filing (and I would note that your circumstances are far from typical). I read about it in the Atlantic or Economist or somewhere--conservatives in various states offered decent-sized tax credits for newlyweds, special programs to help with (non-religious) marriage counseling, and all sorts of stuff like that. Didn't do much. Possibly we could do more, but I think the whole paradigm of relying on the government (or else "the market," ie nobody in particular) to fix everything is part of the problem. Governments are great at some things--building bridges, for example, or blowing stuff up. Other things they just don't do very efficiently at all. There really did used to be a way for people to help themselves, or each other, on the small scale.

[Aeson]

While my situation isn't common, it does happen still. The much more common situation is that it can be financially more rewarding for a single parent on welfare to stay single than to marry their SO.

[Aeson]

I seem to recall from one of KH's posts that at the very high end there are some decentives to marriage in the tax code as well.

[Elok]

Ming, I said the majority of new mothers, ie women in their twenties or so. Referring to stuff like this. The young represent the start of a longer-term trend. You also picked out a part of the article which supports your point, leaving out the bit about how many of the new births are older women who consciously planned to have kids while single, years in advance, sometimes using sperm donors. Also that birthrates decreased overall due to the recession circa '08.

There are mitigating factors--long-term cohabitation is less undesirable than babbydaddy situations, obviously--but the long-term picture is not especially good.

[Elok]

While my situation isn't common, it does happen still. The much more common situation is that it can be financially more rewarding for a single parent on welfare to stay single than to marry their SO.

Quite possibly. There are a number of perverse incentives built into welfare. But that's just one more reason why I don't believe you can social engineer your way out of this, at least not at a broad level. I understand they've had more success in Europe, but I don't know of any broad comparison of the different circumstances prevailing to cause the change.

[Giancarlo]

http://news-hl-cm.newsrep.net/h5/nrshare.html?r=3&lan=en_US&pid=3&id=Pr2cb9e35WB_us&detail=1&ch=200014&app_lan=&mcc=310

Hope that link works. It is from mobile. If not search "ISIS bans Burkha in certain locations".

Women and even some men wearing full burkhas have killed various high ranking Daesh members in Mosul. Daesh responded by banning it in certain areas. Funny twist of fate as they enforced women to wear it in any area they controlled.

Turns out it is a great cover for the rebellion occurring against ISIS in Mosul. This was a low intensity rebellion, but has inflicted significant losses on Daesh. This will prove key in reducing Daesh and provide help in preventing them from fleeing from Iraq into Syria.

This rebellion is not discussed much, but Al Jazeera has covered it quite a bit. Daesh is being attacked not just from Iraqi and Kurdish forces, but also from within the city itself. They can also provide Intel on any traps and IEDs, which will reduce losses for Iraqi and Kurdish forces.

[Dry]

I see all religions as antiwomen.

While I agree with you, there is some paradox that I still cannot solve.
Which is the fact that women in general are more religious than men.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2016/03/religion-and-gender

A global survey by the Pew Research Center, an independent body based in Washington, DC, has found that by a whole series of yardsticks, women are generally more devout than men, albeit with some exceptions.

Islam seem to be one of these exceptions. But they explain it with this:

Because of religious norms, Muslim men attend services at a mosque much more often than Muslim women do

So it seems that, in order for men to be more devout than women, you have to force them. When left with more freedom in following the faith, women are more reluctant to give up.

What is it in religion that is more appealing to women than men?
And don't think it would be ignorance

Renee Hirschon found that women had a deep theological understanding of the rituals they enacted, from mourning the dead to preparing festive meals for different occasions on the church calendar, culminating in Easter.

Can anyone solve this paradox?

[Berzerker]

the abused and powerless seek a more "cosmic" form of justice and empowerment

if I was picked on I'd tell myself the bully will get theirs...karma, what goes around, etc

[pchang]

Screw Karma...

[Jon Miller]

You want a better society? How about paying women equally and empowering them to become more active in the workforce? And some think more marriage will somehow solve this. We have seen in other western countries social improvement because women have greater pay and greater opportunity. This is something America just doesn't seem to learn.

I consider Germany and Finland and Canada to all be pretty good societies (and better than the US) and they are similar to the US with respect to the pay gap.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_pay_gap#/media/File:OECD_gender_wage_gap.svg

Now an obvious issue that needs fixed is maternal and paternal paid leave... and it would be huge. I am really not sure why the US refuses to do it, other than it costs corporations a little.

JM
(some more perspective http://www.aauw.org/research/the-sim...ender-pay-gap/ )

[Jon Miller]

Can anyone solve this paradox?

Because spirituality is a real and valuable component of humans lives and women are generally less extreme (so less likely to be anti-spirituality) then men?

JM

[Giancarlo]

Because spirituality is a real and valuable component of humans lives

JM

No its not. It is fantasy to me and millions of other atheists, agnostics and nonreligious people.

[Giancarlo]

I consider Germany and Finland and Canada to all be pretty good societies (and better than the US) and they are similar to the US with respect to the pay gap.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_pay_gap#/media/File:OECD_gender_wage_gap.svg

Now an obvious issue that needs fixed is maternal and paternal paid leave... and it would be huge. I am really not sure why the US refuses to do it, other than it costs corporations a little.

JM
(some more perspective http://www.aauw.org/research/the-sim...ender-pay-gap/ )

This doesn't actually reply to what I have said. The wage gap is less in other countries than the US. Are you arguing for a wage gap? Silly.

[Jon Miller]

I am arguing that there doesn't seem to trend where the better the nation, the lower the wage gap.

I am not suggesting there is no effect, I am suggesting it is small.

JM

[Giancarlo]

I am arguing that there doesn't seem to trend where the better the nation, the lower the wage gap.

I am not suggesting there is no effect, I am suggesting it is small.

JM

You are wrong though. Direly wrong. Scandinavian countries have a smaller wage gap for example. Stop trying to defend the wage gap. Your argument is almost nonsensical.