The moral of the story: do what feels right to you!

As the number of sexually available women continued to grow, it became unnecessary for men to treat women with respect or affection. Why open her door? Why pay for her meal? Why bother to call? Why go through the trouble making her feel special? Why be faithful? Why make a commitment?

Women often enter into casual sex and cohabitation assuming these things are their only options. Yet these practices have only become the default dating norms over the past few decades. And guess what? They're a failed social experiment.

The fact that there's finally a rom-com about abortion is wonderful. "Obvious Child", starring comedian Jenny Slate, depicts a world where an abortion is more like a trip to the dentist than a life-ruiner. For many upper-middle class women such as me, the undramatic portrayal is a welcome reality. Our lives are much improved since motherhood has morphed from a straitjacket into a spandex that accommodates 21st-century ambitions. But not all groups of women have benefited from more flexible notions of maternity.

I'm not personally a proponent of cohabitation before marriage. If you asked for my advice, I'd tell you not to. There's plenty of empirical research out there to suggest that it might not be the greatest idea. But you don't need to reduce men to sex-starved lunatics (or women to desperate shells who will whither and die if they don't get a ring) to get your point across.

How do you enter into a common-law relationships in the first place and when do various rights vest? For those of you living with a partner or considering doing so (or if you have adult children considering same), I suggest that you grab a cup of coffee, sit down and read the following paragraphs a few of times over.