Sexual and physical abuse, of herself or her children, that a woman wouldn't have the economic freedom to leave.
My father said he read a book about the habits of the upwardly mobile (not those born wealthy, but those born poor who become wealthy) - and one thing they seem to NOT do is divorce.
Divorce killed me economically.
I used to own a three bedroom house with an ocean view and we had a maid twice a month and a gardener every week. The two of us worked hard, but lived like royalty. We had a combined income well over 100k a year.
Now I live in an apartment and have debt and a tax bill, had to shortsale the house in a down economy.
On the plus side she was the best damn roommate I ever had! Payed half the bills, was sexy as hell, and kept ME real happy!
Being single hasn't been so bad either. A LOT of desperate women out there!
End of story? The wife had an affair because she "wasn't happy", they lost their business, he lost his country home, is facing bankruptcy at the same time he is working like a madman to pay for college for his 2 kids. He will divorce her eventually, but is keeping married FOR HER SAKE as she doesn't have medical coverage any other way. The funny thing is, I don't think she even realizes what she threw away or how precarious her position is.
What's the DEAL with women now-a-days?
Thank you both for your input.
I don't know why most women don't "get" the economic side of marriage. I've been blessed to be married for 25 years. We've had more good years then bad, but some of the bad ones would break your heart. However, because my wife had faith in me she stuck with me through all of it. I put her through law school and when she finished she stepped in and started running the first business I started so I could get involved in commercial real estate. As a result we were able to live on the income from our first business and save the income from the real estate.
My MIL nagged us incessantly to buy a house in the suburbs. Instead when the opportunity came we had the money and bought apartment buildings. My wife kept running our first business and we bought several more buildings. Now 25 years later we see the rewards of our efforts and willingness to take calculated risks.
I would never have been as motivated, or able to do all this without her and vice versa. Why more women don't see this I don't know.