Monogamy helps ensure successful marriages

#1027 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 25 Jan 2015.

Online dating coach Bettina Arndt claimed recently that, while loyalty is a virtue, “treating monogamy as the main indicator of a successful marriage gives people unrealistic expectations of themselves and their partners, and destroys more marriages than it saves.”

Such bold claims are hard to prove, but it is not without good reason that 85 per cent of Australian men and 83 per cent of women believe having an affair is always wrong in a committed relationship – up from 78 per cent a decade ago.

In the latest Australian Sex Survey, 96 per cent of respondents said they expected sexual exclusivity of themselves and their partner.

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton may have said of her husband Bill, “He’s a hard dog to keep on the porch,” but most of us understand why loyalty within marriage is so important – for self-esteem, for the couple relationship, for children of the marriage, and for the strength of the wider community. It’s also God’s ideal for marriage and family.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.