I am writing a research paper for my sociology class and am having a hard time narrowing my topic. Being newly married I wanted to do it on something relating to the first year of marriage. I've heard that most divorces occur in the first year- I don't kow if that's true. If so, I wanted to focus on why that happens and maybe integrate dual career marriages, how women having a career effects the relationship. Does anyone have any stories or ideas??? Thanks Susan

As a working newlywed, I would be more for a paper that speaks to careers NOT being the demise of the marriage but a incorrect order of priorities. <P>We both work demanding upper management jobs and have a dog and children are also in the picture, but our priorities are in order.<BR>staying at work until 7 8 or 9 o clock is not an option for me. Working late on our date night is not an option for either of us. We say No. Computers go off in the house at 10:00pm.<P>There's a commitment to our marriage that is stronger than what the world says must be most important. I left a job at a prestigous newspaper to take a position with a firm that has some values and makes family a priority.<P>I think we are utilizing some of the power we have that everyone has but often fails to use. I can define my life rather than having eveything in it define it. I don't HAVE to be subject to the way things are. My husband and I want a certain quality of life and what's really important is our marriage and our family. If all that goes to pot what's it all worth?<P>I figure that with these priorities we are ahead of the game. And with this type of commitment being consistently fed into the relationship by both parties we even can fend off a lot of that "outside interference"<BR>