Thank you for taking the time to visit this blog. I have created it to encourage thought, comment and discussion that will help to build bridges of understanding between the sexes. From my point of view, it is imperative that challenges impacting on our relationships as men and women, be recognised and resolved where possible.
As you can see from my curriculum vitae, I have held a number of roles in the area of human relations since the early 1970s. Over the years, as an author and media commentator, I have often shared my views about issues relevant to relationships. In Australia, I am best known for the work of my consultancy, Yvonne Allen and Associates, which has provided consulting, introduction and search services for discerning singles seeking partners since 1976.
A futurist in my thinking, in 1989 I attended an international conference of futurists in Washington DC, at which I presented a paper: ‘Why chance our future when it is a matter of values, choice and vision?’. At the time I shared with the audience my concerns about the importance of our recognising and addressing challenges apparent in the present in order to realise the future we wanted to create. As I see it, this is as relevant to our relationships as men and women in society as it is to the future of our environment and of life on our planet.
Why am I so concerned about the future of relationships?
As a ‘matchmaker’ for more than 35 years, I have been in a position to witness dramatic changes in our expectations as men and women living and loving together. For example, when I first opened the doors of the consultancy, most people had married by the time they were thirty and divorce was relatively uncommon. These days, the expectation is that up to 50 per cent of marriages will end in divorce, and that many of those couples who stay partnered will do so unhappily. Surely we need to ask, ‘why is this so?’ and ‘what can be done to improve the odds?.
In today’s world, we only have to look at the online dating sites to realise how things have changed. Millions of men and women of all ages and backgrounds are seeking to find a partner, for either a short term affair or a long term relationship. Current trends indicate that ever-increasing numbers of people who would prefer to share life with a partner will be living alone. In Australia it has been predicted that by 2026, 31% of households will be occupied by a person on their own. This reflects a shift in our social profile of seismic proportions. Yet there is very little comment being made about the implications of this huge change for us as individuals, our society and the world at large.
This blog has been created to stimulate such debate and discussion. I invite you to comment and express your views about any of the items that interest you as they appear on this site.
