So it began to occur to me: during this long extension of the precommitment stage,
于是我突然想到:在这个长期婚前准备期,
if you can get rid of bad relationships before you marry, maybe we're going to see more happy marriages.
如果你在婚前摆脱了一段糟糕的情感关系,或许就会有更多美满的婚姻。
So I did a study of 1,100 married people in America -- not on Match.com, of course -- and I asked them a lot of questions.
于是,我研究了美国1100位已婚人士,当然不是在 Match.com上,我问了很多问题。
But one of the questions was, "Would you re-marry the person you're currently married to?" And 81 percent said, "Yes."
其中一个是,如果再给你一次机会,你还会选择和现在的伴侣结婚吗?81%的人说,会!
In fact, the greatest change in modern romance and family life is not technology. It's not even slow love.
事实上,当今的情感和家庭生活最大的变化不是科技造成的,甚至也不是“慢慢爱”的结果。
It's actually women piling into the job market in cultures around the world.
而是在全世界范围内,大量女性进入职场的结果。
For millions of years, our ancestors lived in little hunting and gathering groups.
几百万年以来,我们的祖先都生活在小型捕猎采集社会。
Women commuted to work to gather their fruits and vegetables.
女性外出忙于采摘水果和蔬菜。
They came home with 60 to 80 percent of the evening meal.
餐桌上60%~80%的食物是由她们带回来的。
The double-income family was the rule.
双份收入家庭是一般法则。
And women were regarded as just as economically, socially and sexually powerful as men.
女性不论在经济、社会,还是性方面,都和男性具有同等的地位。
Then the environment changed some 10,000 years ago,
然而大约1万年前,社会发生了变化
we began to settle down on the farm and both men and women became obliged, really, to marry the right person,
人类开始以农耕为主,男女似乎有义务寻找合适的人结婚,
from the right background, from the right religion and from the right kin and social and political connections.
对方必须有匹配的背景,宗教信仰,相称的家族、社会及政治关联。
Men's jobs became more important: they had to move the rocks, fell the trees, plow the land.
男性的工作变得更为重要:他们必须搬运大石、砍树、耕地。
They brought the produce to local markets, and came home with the equivalent of money.
他们把农产品带到市场上卖,换回来同等的钱。