調查:更多美國人選擇簽訂婚前協議

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.

最新調查顯示，美國民衆現在對待婚姻越來越謹慎，更多人在走入婚姻殿堂之前選擇簽訂婚前協議。

而且在婚姻破裂時才尋求保護自己的財產的並非只有富人和名人。

擁有超過1600名會員的美國婚姻律師學會稱，更多的女性和中產階級夫婦選擇簽訂婚前協議，內容還可涉及婚外情、退休金保障、甚至寵物狗監護等條款。

該學會主席馬琳•愛思金德•摩斯說：“這是一種規劃手段。鑑於當下半數婚姻以失敗告終，提前計劃很有必要。”

在參與調查的該學會會員中，有近四分之三表示，在過去五年間婚前協議簽訂量大增；有一半以上的會員稱越來越多的女性尋求籤訂這種法律協議。

人們曾認爲婚前協議是富人和名人的“專利”，而事實上，它正吸引着各個收入羣體的人，只不過原因不盡相同。

摩斯解釋說，“婚前協議有時只是用來避免揹債，一方不用爲另一方婚前的負債負責。”

婚前協議還可以包括預算、以及夫妻雙方今後是否開設獨立銀行賬戶等財物條款。

與過去幾十年相比，職場女性的人數和收入都有了大幅提高。美國勞工部的統計數據顯示，在2009年，職場女性佔到美國上班族總數的46.8%，據估計2018年這一比例將上升至46.9%。

擁有30年家庭律師經驗的摩斯說：“在過去的男權文化歷史上女性不管錢，但她們如今需要像男人一樣做出安排。如今更多的女性擁有個人資產，並掌握更多財政大權。”

Vocabulary:

walk down the aisle: 結婚