U.S. marriage rates at all-time low: Why?
(CBS) Why are fewer Americans getting married these days? A new report shows the current number of married adults has dropped to a record low of 51 percent. For a dose of perspective, back in 1960, 72 percent of U.S. adults ages 18 and older were married.
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The report, by the Washington D.C. think tank Pew Research Center, suggests that if the trend continues, within a few years less than half of American adults will be hitched.
That's not the only trend changing. Americans are getting married for the first time at older ages than ever before. The average ages of first marriage hit record highs of 26.5 for brides and 28.7 for grooms, the report showed.
For the report, Pew researchers analyzed U.S. Census data from 1960 and data from the American Community Surveys from 2008-2010. Between 2009 and 2010, the number of new marriages sharply declined 5 percent, a drop that "may or may not be related to the sour economy," the researchers wrote.
Among adults ages 18-24, the marriage rate dropped 13 percent during that year.
"The most dramatic statistics to me are when you look at the share of younger adults who are married now compared with in the past," report author D'Vera Cohn, a senior writer at Pew Research Center, told NPR. "That's really been where you've seen the big decline."
The authors say it's unclear whether more adults are merely delaying marriage, or abandoning the tradition all together.
Couples also aren't putting up with each other as long as they were back in the 1960s. The report found 72 percent of U.S. adults had been married at least once - but that too is down from 1960, when 85 percent of adults had been married once.
Are attitudes towards marriage changing? A 2010 survey found nearly 40 percent of responders said marriage is "becoming obsolete." The same survey however found 60 percent of responders who never married would still like to tie the knot.
Why do you think U.S. marriage rates are declining?
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I live in NY, and would have to look up the current law on such settlements. I know a few people who went through really bitter divorces some years back--so much so that if it was me, I would've probably committed suicide. There is no way in god's creation that would I allow the thieves of the courts (the other criminals of the land) take from me hat I have worked my entire life to acquire, especially well before I would even meet the woman of my dreams, let alone afterwards. I'm 29 and again in no serious rush for the government to furter destroy my life! 'Nuff said!
Marriage makes you lose way too many rights. I am female and I will never fall for the scam of marriage. Once marriage is restructured to keep all finances between spouses separate...and a built in pre-nuptual agreement is automatically in place to protect each person's property as their own...then, perhaps I may consider it. Abolish any and all alimony. If one spouse is foolish enough to not work and contribute financially--they should leave with nothing.
Until then, cohabitation is the only way to go to protect yourself--male or female.
Men pay almost all alimony, this is slavery pure and simple!
Men pay almost all child support!
Men kill themselves in greater numbers when princes ruins their world!
Men stand to lose and not gain in marriage and are just starting to wake up to it!
More and more will come to this realization and opt out of the bad deal.
If you looked at the stats of that contract no man in his right mind would agree to sign up for the above. While it is overall a pretty darned sweet deal for a female
It is going to be fun to watch.
We have life partners. We are too smart for marriage. Cohabitation is the best way to go.
Given the rotten economy we got out of Bush and his gang, they do not want any children, not certain they can provide for them, despite the fact that they both right now have good jobs.
I no longer refer to my wife as my wife. She is "my partner" why should I support an institution that is discriminatory.
It reminds me of the battle I vaguely remember about allowing inter-racial marriage. Which finally became legal in all states in 1967
When ever you hear about protecting the sanctity of marriare, remember its the same conservative agenda that in the past was opposed to inter-racial marriage
Their rallying cry was to "protect the sanctity of the white race."
Maybe its time for our government to stop worrying about marriage either way. Maybe its time to stop rewarding people for it OR punishing people for it! Its a personal choice.
So who is right and who is wrong? Based on the arguments in these replies, it sounds like the morals belong to those who value marriage. So playing devil's advocate, does that mean gays are now seeing morality where straight people aren't?
Got to admit, it's an interesting and different perspective.
BTW he was born and baptised catholic in very catholic Austria. Where the churches morals included a thousand years of hating Jews (and yes gays also._)
And why did the church take almost 20 years after WWII to have vatican 2, which PARTIALLY lifted the claims that Jews killed or outed Jesus to Pontius Pilate. I guess they thought the heat was off
And I wonder just how many catholics realize that in 2009, Benedict UNexcommunicated a bishop Williamson, who is a holocaust denier. Of course the excuses abound :"i didnt know" and "I was trying to prevent a schism in the church"
By bringing back a nazi holocaust denier. yeh sure.
I, too, would like to know what is behind the dropping numbers. It is interesting, I agree. My SO and I have, both, been married and divorced twice, and had a significant long term relationship. But we have been together for nine years. If we want out, we do it and tell the other one that we do. Do we have problems? Of course we do. All couples have problems. But I love him, and he loves me, and we both intend to be with each other until we die. I'm 52, he's 50. AFAIC, there is no reason to get married.
All that shacking up has contributed to it as well.People who have lived together with with different people over a period of time find it hard to make a commitment. Even when they do marry it lasts a few years and it time to move on.
Society is starting to follow in Hollywood's foot steps concerning marriage.
The only people who want to get married now are homosexuals but their motivation is a political one. Their unions are even worse in duration, but that's an entirely different story.
As usual ignornance is bliss for bigots.
The only way to maintain your individual rights is to not fall for the scam of marriage.