Natural Freedom

...and?

so it seems your country is like the USA now (in the USA it's also close to 50%)

Not surprised the country I live in is almost on the top... I know hardly anybody my age whose parents are not divorced or don't live together (So the number is higher, if you count in the non-divorced but not together living people)

I saw an awful case of this bewilderment with a male colleague. He was shocked when he was looking through his desk drawer and found that his wife not only was filing for divorce but had also been consulting lawyers about a divorce for over seven years.

"I'm the provider," he said to me. "I've always done what I was expected to do. Why did she want a divorce?"

"When I talk to the husbands, they usually have a very different explanation as to why their wives feel the way they do," writes marriage counselor Willard Harley. "They often feel that the expectations of women in general, and their wives in particular, have grown completely out of reach.

"These men, who feel that they've made a gigantic effort to be caring and sensitive to their wives and get no credit whatsoever for their sizable contribution to the family.

"They feel under enormous pressure to improve their financial support, improve the way they raise their children and improve the way they treat their wives. Many men I see are emotionally exhausted and feel that for all their effort, they get nothing but criticism."

About a week ago, my uncle came to live w/ us after his wife (of 23 years) kicked him out of their newly built home. She then asked for a divorce. This is soon after he accused her seeing another man. She later admitted to it and said it was her HS sweetheart.

My uncle is in his mid 50s and was getting ready to retire in a few years. Him and his wife have 3 kids together. He's a self made man that owns a successful business and property which he does not want to lose. Just a few days ago, she asked him for the house and business which he built by himself, so basically leaving him in the gutter. I feel for him cause he seems so depressed now, wanting to make things right but unable to....

Here's the problem... my uncle still wants to go back and maybe make things right. He says things like "they can't live without me..." since he handles all the finance and takes care of everything for the family.

I don't think it will ever work out esp. at this point but somehow he still believes. What's the best option for him at this point?? And whats the best way to go about this @ this point in his life??

Scarf, what do you think about women keeping their surnames? My sister was recently married, and decided that she wanted to keep her last name(my father's surname), instead of taking her husband's one - could this be a sign of uncertainty/independance I wonder....