Quote Originally Posted by budd
why westerners talk so much about divorce?
not talking that evolution talk about big peacock feathers or lions' manes and what not
but
women probably need to be concerned about whether a potential spouse will be able to provide something, as they the ones who usually keeping the childrens?
I don't agree. The US has the world's highest rate of divorce, but European countries have a similar or even lower rate than Japan.

Interestingly, Japanese people do not speak much about divorce, as if they thought it would never happen. In comparison, where I come from it is usual to make a prenuptial agreement settling all potential problems about money or even the children's custody before getting married. When I discussed this we some Japanese friends, it transpired that Japanese do not want to think about the possibility of divorce when they are getting married, eventhough 1/3 of people end up divorcing in Japan (33.1 divorces per 100 marriage). That made me think that Japanese do not care enough about what's really important, and prefer talking only about their gorgeous wedding party and what age they should get married.

Quote Originally Posted by cyber ape
Anyways, from what I know, marriage is more important because of the whole family honor in Japan. The Japanese have much respect for their families, and marriage is showing triumph. It shows that you've gotten somewhere in life, and that you'll be happy.
I am not quite sure about that. What about all the Japanese marrying foreigners, while there will usually be someone in the family (often a grandparent) that objects or would prefer that they'd marry a Japanese ?
Then in my case, my wife's family is only 2 people, and their opnion was not decisive in getting married, but why wife still insisted on having a lavish wedding party. What I don't understand is why she or her married friends continue to talk about marriage (other people's marriage, or comapring each other's situtation, which can only lead to jealousy on one part or the other) years after getting married ?

On TV there are special programmes discussing marriage or all its perversities almost everyday. For example, every Sunday night there is a TV programme where they ask people which of two (perverted) things they'd accept more easily. Yesterday was something like 1) "a wife that kisses any man she happens to be with when she is drunk, even in front of her appaled husband" or 2) a wife that has bad relationship with your brother (not sure about this 2nd one, as I just overheard while eating). Last week there was also would you prefer a husband that 1) suffers from mother complex or 2) a stalker ?
There are also more "regular" programmes, but I was suprised that the participants were not just women in their late teens or early twenties, but rather men and women between 25 and 50 years old (so many of them probably already married).