Which is why, unfortunately, most women aren't suitable for LTRs. You'll find that there are pockets of women who have only had 1 or 2 relationships in their life.
Squeezing out a solid 1-3 year long non-marital relationship these days is challenging, let alone finding a suitable marriage partner. Some even question whether the marriage model is viable in today's mating environment, a question that I feel is legitimate.
What's your definition of an LTR? I think the expected time horizon and goals a man has for his interactions impact outcomes. I observe many men failing because they often have unrealistic expectations for their current era.
I think it is possible to get a woman above the age of 25 to have a 1-5 year relationship now. I think it is a bad idea to put on a ring on it and have kids with most of these higher notch count women. If you have kids with a woman today, odds are that the relationship will fail before your first kid with her turns 18. That's not a great environment for raising children. It's part of why I have made it to age 37 childless. I don't think it is fair to subject a child to an unhealthy dynamic between the parents.
Depending upon the U.S. state you live in, if a marriage fails, you may also owe your ex wife some alimony payments, even in a marriage with no children. My cousin had that happen to him during his 30s. He had a marriage fail without kids, and the ex walked away with a nice cash settlement that included both alimony payments for over a year and some upfront cash. That was a nice settlement for her for trashing a marriage. Had my cousin never put a ring on it and a childless relationship failed, he would have owed nothing. My cousin had unrealistic expectations.
Women losing the ability to pair bond due to high notch counts manifests itself in a number of ways.
1. Go to any big U.S. city and try to date 28-35 year old women who are never married and have no kids. A lot of these women have sky high expectations for even a 2nd date, let alone a 1-2 year relationship. These sky high expectations are even more pronounced if they are using the more relationship oriented dating apps like Hinge or Bumble. When a woman has a 3+ partner count and access to hundreds of men on Hinge or Bumble, her ability to even bond for a 2nd date, which is a nothing of a commitment, is compromised severely.
2. Attached women are easily finding sex outside the primary relationship, which happens more commonly in LTRs longer than 3-5 years. These are often women 35-44, who are supposedly post-wall. A 40 year old woman who stays in shape will be able to have an affair with a 25-30 year old man at her gym if her long term relationship goes stale after 10+ years and a kid or two. Usually this will happen once the kids get slightly older (4 or older).
This is also why virginity was so highly prized prior to the sexual revolution of the 60's. The effect that multiple partners has on women was common knowledge prior to the 1960's gaslight.
Agree. Multiple partners has a more meaningful effect upon women than men.