"... the only downside of marriage for a woman is the forgone opportunity for prostitution."

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Sometimes you read something or hear something or see something (how about we just generalize and say "perceive something") that really leaves you for a loss of words.

The above quote comes from an article in Forbes on the economics of prostitution.

The article was rather unremarkable - at least until that sentence.

It is an outrageous phrase worthy of Oscar Wilde.

Image grabbed from here.

Comments

Elvina aka LaoNiang said…
ahhh. what a lame article. Their arguments are superficial and flawed in so many ways. To women of today, making tons of money may not necessarily be their ultimate goal in life.

For some, downside of marriage is they may not be able to be as free to do what they have done as a single person - and that does not always include Prostitution.

What a joke.

If prostitution and money is not what you crave for in life, I wouldn't see that as an "opportunity cost" if I do get married. To me, possibly the downside of marriage is really the forgone opportunity to live for myself and be who I am.

Realities of having a family will kick in and there will be sacrifices and compromises to be made - financially, emotionally, physically, and in terms of time allocation, as well as having personal time and space to pursue what your heart desires.
March 04, 2006 4:41 AM
Richard said…
Well said.

You are right, the major difficulty in marriage is reconciling two independent lives (and children don't make the mix any easier).

It has its ups and it has its downs; the only thing you need to have clear is your expectations (and you need to share this with that significant other).

People choose various lifestyle. Some are clearly sub-optimal - others are just different.

I just couldn't resist sharing that quote - it was too delicious and struck me as something worthy of Oscar Wilde.
March 04, 2006 2:19 PM
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