Nobel prof backs marriage contracts

After we developed the idea of marriage based on personalised contracts of commitment, we soon discovered that others have had thoughts along similar lines.

One was Gary S. Becker, an academic with distinguished credentials: University Professor, Department of Economics, and Sociology Professor, Graduate School of Business, The University of Chicago.

In Business Week magazine back in December 1999, Professor Becker suggested that it was time to "replace divorce laws with compulsory marriage contracts". Becker continues:

"Such contracts would require men and women to assume responsibility for the main terms of their marriage and its breakup. They would allow couples to tailor the terms of marriage and divorce to their particular needs.
      A common argument against marriage contracts is that men and women who are romantically involved would hesitate to suggest a contract because that might create the false impression that they are not in love, or that they are contemplating only a short-term relation.
       An easy solution to this real problem is to require a contract before a couple can legally marry. If these become compulsory, there would be no bad vibes or stigma attached. Contracts permit men and women entering into marriage to make (their) long-term commitment to each other more secure. People won't have to worry that their relationship would be easily abrogated when they have financial or health problems, or when one of them tires of the other, or meets someone else.
       Even couples who want to allow easy access to divorce would be better off if they agreed on custody of children and other terms of a breakup before, rather than after, they get involved in an acrimonious divorce battle. The desirable next big step would be to allow couples to adjust the conditions of marriage and divorce to meet their own circumstances and desires."

And so say we at WeDo Marriage. You can read the full article here (pdf format). Becker was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1992. Maybe we'll get one of those someday :-).