The economics of sex
Is it possible for the recession to be encouraging adultery but discouraging sex?
One thing is booming in this recession, said Bruce Watson in Daily Finance. Infidelity. Money problems often drive married couples apart, but divorce is expensive, so many unhappy couples are staying together (the divorce rate has fallen by 40 percent in the economic downturn). And many of those unhappy spouses are seeking comfort with other married people—because adultery with another married person is cheaper than romancing a single person.
Maybe, but they're not hooking up at work, said John Carney in The Business Insider. Sex in the office was commonplace in boom times. Every Wall Street firm had its stories of co-workers being caught in the heat of passion in elevators and in conference rooms. But as an HR person at a major Wall Street firm put it, "It's like the crash dampened their hormones."
The bottom line, said Dan Kadlec in Time, is that Americans stressed out by tough economic times are having less sex. The birth rate is flat to down, contraceptive sales "tailed off in 2008 from brisk growth rates during the boom years." It "seems there's been a dearth of action in the bedroom just when we all need a little free entertainment."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why ghost guns are so easy to make — and so dangerous
The Explainer Untraceable, DIY firearms are a growing public health and safety hazard
By David Faris Published
-
The Week contest: Swift stimulus
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'It's hard to resist a sweet deal on a good car'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published