Marriage and Public Office

[Bahama Mama]

Should it be a general and even an official condition/rule that persons that sit in high public office (PM, DPM, Cabinet Minister) be married? Does an individuals singledom matter when it comes to being in a position of high public office? What it matter to you when it came down to the vote?

[Gwadinka]

No, it should not be an official condition. But there is this sort of belief that our parents' and grandparents' generations trust more somebody who is married. Marriage represents some sort of allegory of plitics. If you are in a happy, long lasting marriage with all the highs and lows that come with it, then people think that you will be able to cope with all the issues that will come during your time in office.
And I do not care that much.

[BlackCryptoKnight]

Some churches require that senior leaders be married. I think there is some Biblical basis for that, but I'll have to hunt for the reference. There is the viewpoint that if a man is married, and has a sucessful family life, then he has the qualities to lead others. If he is unsucessful in leading his family, then he may not have the necessary skills to lead others. It can be a good indicator for certain qualities like integrity, commitment, loyalty and compassion.

[Xenocrates]

Some churches require that senior leaders be married. I think there is some Biblical basis for that, but I'll have to hunt for the reference.
- 1 Timothy 3:12 - Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

Yah. It's a requirement that deacons be married. People in political offices needn't be married however. They just tend to be more popular than people who are not. In American culture, your chances of becoming president are significantly higher if you are the icon of the American dream, which automatically includes a happy marriage. It is similar in most other modern cultures. The level of trust is just significantly higher for such an incumbent.