中國網(wǎng)站品牌欄目（頻道）
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Americans are taking a cautious approach to marriage and are seeking more prenuptial agreements before walking down the aisle. |
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Americans are taking a cautious approach to marriage and are seeking more prenuptial agreements before walking down the aisle. And it is not just the wealthy and famous who are looking to safeguard their assets when a marriage crumbles. More women and middle-class couples are opting for prenups, which can also include adultery clauses, protection of retirement benefits and even custody of the dog, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), which represents more than 1600 lawyers. "It's a planning tool. Given that half of marriages end in divorce it makes sense to plan," said Marlene Eskind Moses, the president of the AAML. Nearly three quarters of members who responded to the AAML poll reported an increase in prenups in the last five years, and more than half said more women are seeking the legal agreements. Once thought of as only for the rich and famous, prenups are appealing to all income levels but for different reasons. "Sometimes it can be a prenuptial to protect against debt so that one is not responsible for debt their spouse accumulated before the marriage," Moses explained. The legal agreements can also include clauses on financial arrangements such as budgets and whether the couple will have separate bank accounts. More women are working now than in previous decades and they are earning higher salaries. Women comprised 46.8 percent of U.S. workers in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor and that number is expected to rise to 46.9 percent in 2018. "In our historically male-dominated culture women didn't control money and now they need to plan as much as the men. More women have more assets these days and have more control over funds," said Moses, a family lawyer with 30 years of experience. (Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Web site.) (Agencies) |
最新調(diào)查顯示，美國民眾現(xiàn)在對(duì)待婚姻越來越謹(jǐn)慎，更多人在走入婚姻殿堂之前選擇簽訂婚前協(xié)議。 而且在婚姻破裂時(shí)才尋求保護(hù)自己的財(cái)產(chǎn)的并非只有富人和名人。 擁有超過1600名會(huì)員的美國婚姻律師學(xué)會(huì)稱，更多的女性和中產(chǎn)階級(jí)夫婦選擇簽訂婚前協(xié)議，內(nèi)容還可涉及婚外情、退休金保障、甚至寵物狗監(jiān)護(hù)等條款。 該學(xué)會(huì)主席馬琳?愛思金德?摩斯說：“這是一種規(guī)劃手段。鑒于當(dāng)下半數(shù)婚姻以失敗告終，提前計(jì)劃很有必要。” 在參與調(diào)查的該學(xué)會(huì)會(huì)員中，有近四分之三表示，在過去五年間婚前協(xié)議簽訂量大增；有一半以上的會(huì)員稱越來越多的女性尋求簽訂這種法律協(xié)議。 人們?cè)J(rèn)為婚前協(xié)議是富人和名人的“專利”，而事實(shí)上，它正吸引著各個(gè)收入群體的人，只不過原因不盡相同。 摩斯解釋說，“婚前協(xié)議有時(shí)只是用來避免背債，一方不用為另一方婚前的負(fù)債負(fù)責(zé)。” 婚前協(xié)議還可以包括預(yù)算、以及夫妻雙方今后是否開設(shè)獨(dú)立銀行賬戶等財(cái)物條款。 與過去幾十年相比，職場(chǎng)女性的人數(shù)和收入都有了大幅提高。美國勞工部的統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)顯示，在2009年，職場(chǎng)女性占到美國上班族總數(shù)的46.8%，據(jù)估計(jì)2018年這一比例將上升至46.9%。 擁有30年家庭律師經(jīng)驗(yàn)的摩斯說：“在過去的男權(quán)文化歷史上女性不管錢，但她們?nèi)缃裥枰衲腥艘粯幼龀霭才拧Ｈ缃窀嗟呐該碛袀€(gè)人資產(chǎn)，并掌握更多財(cái)政大權(quán)。” 相關(guān)閱讀 婚前協(xié)議 prenuptial agreement （中國日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 Julie 編輯Helen） |
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Vocabulary: walk down the aisle: 結(jié)婚 |
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