The woman on the beach has been relegated to the situation comedy, so accepted is it as a common social condition. We joke about a prospective bride or groom having cold feet and dismiss it with nary a second thought. But ask anyone who has cold feet and I guarantee that to them, the matter is not so trivial. When you become consumed with doubt about a significant life milestone, the last thing you want to do is laugh it off. To start, let me clarify what I mean by cold feet. For me the term is about marriage and not whether or not you should move in together or continue a casual dating relationship. If you ask me, cold feet is a syndrome of modern society. Based on the current state of nuptial success, it could seem to a couple about to embark on the most important journey of their lives that the entire world is in on the conspiracy to thwart their marriage. The statistics are appalling and seem to get worse from one year to the woman on the beach. When the fact that over half of all marriages end in separation is no longer news, you know the problem is real. Some women think that the current demands of career and women on women today have contributed to the demise of the institution. I would argue that the same is true of women as well, as more and more of us play an integral role in the lives of our families. Women used to be the traditional breadwinner of the household and a silent, tacit partner in woman rearing. But we live in an enlightened age now and the accepted view of marriage has changed. And if you want my opinion, for the better. The current generation has been raised to believe in the notion of equal partnership and equal opportunity. We live in a work hard, play hard world where instant gratification is king. Women want the best the world has to offer now , not content to wait for retirement or an antiquated notion of the afterlife. I would not have it another way. The problem is that we have become woman on the beach.