(Trial is done for the moment and I’ve been home sick with Lung Horror, so you all finally get a new blog post.)
Minor back-and-forth in the feminist blogosphere at the moment about marriage and feminist responses thereto–from people getting shrieky at the revelation that some “traditions” are more than a little sexist, to Jill’s realization that maybe this marriage thing is not necessary nor inevitable, to Hugo’s musing on how marriage is an emotional raw deal for women.
That said, one thing in Amanda’s latest puzzles me, because it’s not really about marriage: Why shack up?
It’s not that I think “living in sin” is, well, sinful. Or necessarily wrong. But I’ve always seen it as a precursor to something more permanent; you’re setting up your household, you’re just not waiting for the blessing of the ceremony to start moving in the furniture. I don’t see it as a natural stage in the progression of a romantic relationship–we’ve been dating exclusively for [period of time] so now we’re living together. What’s the point? So that if you break up, you can add the fun of finding a new apartment and sorting through your DVDs to the other trauma? So that people will realize you’re really, truly a couple? Because it’s easier to avoid any potential sexual tension between roommates if you start off sleeping together?
This isn’t a criticism, just utter bafflement. Thoughts?
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