Scam War

[3T_Ventus]

Hello Mies!

You understood me correctly! Yes, most of the women that I have met would rather or prefer partnership. It is a a widespread notion which has seen its rise over the last few decades, unfortunately. Many see unsuccessful marriages and decide it better to desist from it completely. One can even get a certificate of partnership, almost like a marriage  but then without ceremony and paperwork. When both decide to separate it is not a hassle like a divorce, or so I hear.   

[mies]

I have a Belgian female friend who lived in partnership contract for 4 years, they got a baby, and overall lived pretty much same style as married couple. She says that in Belgium partnership contract has almost identical legal force to marriage (and since this woman is a lawyer, I'm sure she knows what she is talking about). She was ok with either contract or marriage. Then her husband got a job in USA, she was planning to come along with baby, and then they discovered that USA does not recognize their partnership contract as sufficient reason for her to join her partner. So they got married. She sounded somewhat upset that they had to marry in a hurry, without real celebration.

Another friend of mine, male, from NL, has a long-term girlfriend/partner. He does not sound like he wants to marry (don't know why), but my impression is that she would prefer marriage to partnership. Still I think of them as a family - because they live together, have common household, and do everything else the way married people do. So I don't really understand why my friend does not want to marry this woman.

[3T_Ventus]

I can understand that marriage is something very special and should be treated as such, for it occurs only once.  A colleague of mine experienced something similar. His then girlfriend and now wife solicited in the US and got the job. He had to marry her quickly and did this a few months prior to their leave. America seems to be more 'conservative' then when it comes to the subject of marriage. 

Yes Mies, sometimes there are couples who decide to marry after having a long term partnership, being more established and having children. I am not surprised at hearing this for I see this also very often. A friend of mine had been living with his girlfriend for just over ten years. They saved up and bought a house only to discover that they where pregnant. So they decided to marry. It was more in the spur of the moment even though they knew each other a long time. Partnership has it advantages...