Americans wait longer to get married - Part 2

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1.Nicky Grist is the director of the Alternatives to Marriage(1) Project. She says young couples(2) might live together(3) to save(4) money or because they are trying to decide whether(5) to get married(6). And some couples -- like Ellen and Doug -- just might not think marriage is right for them.

2. Another(7) organization, the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, works to support(8) marriage. The director is Bradford Wilcox, a sociology professor. He points out(9) that couples who have good incomes(10) and college degrees tend to be married, especially if they have children(11).

3. But Mr. Wilcox says many young adults decide not to get married because they have seen their parents or their friends get divorced(12). As a result, they may not have much hope(13) that a marriage willlast(14). Nicky Grist at the Alternatives to Marriage Project says whether two people are married is not important. What is important, she says, is that they take care of each other(15) and depend on each other.
 

4. "What we're seeing are increasing(16) numbers of very stable(17), long-term(18) non-married relationships(19), and that includes both(20) romantic relationships and also other kinds of(21) relationships where people are simply(22) committed(23) to caring for one another(24), whether as friends or as extended family. And what we see is that caring goes beyond(25) the one kind of relationship called marriage. And it's really caring that society should(26) support."

5. But most employers(27), for example, offer(28) health insurance(29) to a worker's partner(30) only if the couple is married. Unmarried(31) couples may also pay more taxes(32). And if one person dies, the other person may have a difficult time claiming(33) the couple's money or property(34).

6. Brad Wilcox at the National Marriage Project says marriage creates a more stable life than living together. As a result(35), he says, having married parents is better for children. "You can't treat(36)cohabitation like marriage because they're fundamentally different realities. Cohabitation offers people a lot more flexibility and freedom(37), but that's the downside(38) of it too, looking at it from a morerelational(39) -- and particularly from a child's -- perspective."

7. In recent years several(40) American states and the District of Columbia have made same-sex marriage legal. But in nineteen ninety-six Congress passed(41) the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. For federal purposes(42) it defines marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman. President Bill Clinton signed it into law(43).

8. In February of this year, however(44), President Obama told the Justice Department to stop defending the law in court(45). He says it violates the Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment(46) says states may not deny(47) anyone the equal protection of the laws. In other words, states cannot give a right(48) to some people but not to others.

9. President Obama says DOMA discriminates. But the law remains(49) in place(50). The courts are still debating how to handle(51) this law and the issue(52) of same-sex marriage. Not all of the issues thatface(53) unmarried couples or same-sex couples involve debates over laws, morality or social policy(54). One question that many couples find difficult to answer is simply(55) what to call each other(56).

10. In the United States, the tradition has been that a wife takes her husband's last name in place of her own. But many women now add their husband's name or keep(57) their own name. Some couples come up with(58) a new combination for themselves or their children.

11. Meg Keene started the blog A Practical Wedding. Ms. Keene says one of the hottest topics on her blog is whether women should take their husband's last name. Ms. Keene has been married for more than three years but has still not decided(59) what to do about her own name.

12. MEG KEENE: "I had my name for almost(60) thirty years by the time I got married. I'm going to be a published author under my name. I'm very tied to(61) it. It's an ongoing(62) negotiation."

Vocabulary: 

 1.    Marriage = casamento

2.      Couples = casais

3.      might live together= podem viver juntos

4.      save = economizar

5.      whether = se(ou não)

6.      get married = casam-se

7.      Another = uma outra

8.      Support = apoiar

9.      points out = ressaltar, salientar

10.  incomes = rendas

11.  children = filhos

12.  get divorced = divorciar-se

13.  hope = esperança

14.  last = durar

15.  take care of each other = cuidar um do outro

16.  increasing = crescent

17.  stable = estável

18.  long-term = de longo prazo

19.  relationships= relacionamentos

20.  both = tanto

21.  other kinds of = outros tipos de

22.  simply = simplesmente

23.  comprometido

24.  one another = uns aos outros

25.  beyond = além de

26.  should = deveria

27.  most employers = a maioria dos empregadores

28.  offer = eferecer

29.  health insurance = seguro de saúde

30.  partner = parceiro(a)

31.  Unmarried = não casados

32.  Taxes = impostos

33.  Claiming = reivindicando

34.  Property = propriedade

35.  As a result = como resultado

36.  Treat = tartar

37.  Freedom = liberdade

38.  Downside = desvantagem

39.  Relational = relativo(a)

40.  Several = vários(as)

41.  Passed = aprovou (projeto de lei)

42.  Purposes = propósitos

43.  signed it into law = transformou em lei

44.  however = contudo

45.  court = tribunal

46.  Amendment = Emenda

47.  may not deny = podem não negar

48.  right = direito

49.  remains = permanence

50.  In place = no local

51.  Handle = lidar com

52.  Issue = questão

53.  Face = enfrentar

54.  social policy = Política social

55.  simply = simplesmente

56.  what to call each other = Como chamar um ao outro

57.  keep = mantém

58.  come up with = sugerem, propõe

59.  has still not decided = ainda não decidiu

60.  almost = quase

61.  tied to = vinculado(a) a

62.  ongoing = em andamento