10 Reason Men Won't Commit

Reason 1: Men can get sex without marriage more easily than in times
past. The men reported that meeting women is easy: at bars, through
friends, at work, and on the Internet. Though men want to become friends
with a woman before becoming seriously involved, casual sex, they said,
is easy to come by.

Reason 2: Men can enjoy the benefits of having a wife by cohabiting
rather than marrying. Men think living together is a good way to test
out a marriage prospect. They also view living together as less risky
than marriage. At the same time, the men in the study like the
convenience of having a regular sex partner. And several said they
appreciate the domestic benefits of cohabitation, and the ability to
share expenses, but thought marriage unnecessary at this point in life.

Reason 3: Men want to avoid divorce and its financial risks. Men feel
that their financial assets are better protected if they cohabit rather
than marry. They also fear that an ex-wife will take financial advantage
during settlement proceedings.

Reason 4: Men want to wait until they are older to have children.
Although men understand that women worry about their biological clocks,
they say they don't have to. And they don't want to be pressured into
marriage by women who want marriage in order to have children.

Reason 5: Men fear that marriage will require too many changes and
compromises. The men savor their freedom to enjoy hobbies, late nights
out and freedom from extra financial burdens. They want to postpone
absorbing extra responsibilities until they are on extra-solid footing
in a number of areas.

Reason 6: Men are waiting for the perfect soul mate and she hasn't yet
appeared. A soul mate, the men said, is a woman who accepts them just as
they are and won't try to change them. The men said they don't want to
settle for second-best. In some cases, the men even said they were
living with a woman who was their version of a second-best partner.
These men are continuing to hunt for the perfect soul mate.

Reason 7: Men face few social pressures to marry. Today's young men
encounter few traditional pressures from religion, employers or society
to marry. Some said they have been mildly teased from parents who want
grandchildren, but most of the men said their parents are willing to
help support them -- and even allow them to move back home -- until they
are ready to marry.

Reason 8: Men are reluctant to marry a woman who already has children.
Men said they feel badly if they establish a relationship with the
children of a woman and then break up with the mother. They also want to
avoid competition and conflict with the children's biological father.
One man says that it is easier to date a woman with children if the
father is entirely out of the picture.

Reason 9: They want to own a house before they get a wife. Men want to
be financially "set" before they marry. For many men, this means home
ownership should come before marriage. Most of the men interviewed are
living with a parent, relative, roommates or girlfriends.

Reason 10: Men want to enjoy a single life as long as they can. Men fear
losing their solitary pleasures by marrying, the study found. And they
become accustomed to their own space and routines. They enjoy the
freedom of not having to be responsible to anyone else.