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Recent years have seen an explosion of male joblessness and a steep decline in men’s life prospects that have disrupted the “romantic market” in ways that narrow a marriage-minded woman’s options: increasingly, her choice is between deadbeats (whose numbers are rising) and playboys (whose power is growing). But this strange state of affairs also presents an opportunity: as the economy evolves, it’s time to embrace new ideas about romance and family—and to acknowledge the end of “traditional” marriage as society’s highest ideal.
Above: The author, photographed in Los Angeles on September 9, 2011.
Read the rest of Katie Bolick’s cover story and check out the November issue of The Atlantic here.
Don’t let the cover or the tagline scare you into thinking this is another “Woe is me” single lady story. This is a terrific read, focused mostly on sociology and the role of gender ratios in our current society.
