Job Market Splitting Up Couples

Pair redefine president-first lady relationship

(NEWSER) - Like no other couple before them, Barack and Michelle Obama have made their romance a central feature of his presidency—even his inauguration night seemed like a wedding, the new first lady dressed in white, the couple dancing to a love song. Their marriage is the subject of a 7,500-word piece by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor , who explored their relationship—and their shared history—in Washington and Chicago. "What I value most about my marriage," says the president, "is that it is separate and apart from a lot of the silliness of Washington." More»

Adversity makes couples' bond stronger, experts say

(NEWSER) - Marital bliss? Toss it out the window, and get down to pain and anguish ASAP, experts say. While many studies find that stress can exacerbate a marriage—turning a short-tempered husband into an abusive one, for example—some experts say adversity is the key to marital success. "It’s protective, helping solidify their commitment into an unshakeable us-vs.-the world resolve,” Tiffany Sharples writes in Time. More»

(NEWSER) - The end of a marriage means the end of good health for many people, a new study finds. Researchers discovered that people who lost a spouse, whether through divorce or death, were roughly 20% more likely to suffer chronic health problems even if they later remarried, HealthDay reports. The scientists believe the stress of loss causes lasting physical and emotional damage. More»

Economy

(NEWSER) - With the economy slicing through earnings and savings, dream weddings are colliding with financial realities—resulting in trims to the guest list, and thorny problems choosing who makes the cut, the Boston Globe reports. The average guest list has shrunk to 139 this year, from 166 in 2007, analysts say; total costs have dropped to an average of $21,814 from $28,704 in 2007. More»

Time appears to heal all

(NEWSER) - If Romeo and Juliet hadn't died young, even those obsessed lovers would have coasted into what Details dubs a "zombie marriage"—that inevitable phase when jobs and kids take precedence over romance, and couples just go through the motions. It ends, as often as not, in divorce, but Karl Taro Greenfeld has a better idea. Instead of driving a stake through its heart, or frantic attempts at CPR, try just leaving it alone. More»