Marriage Rates in Steep Decline: Is Marriage Outdated?
SodaHead News
2011/12/15 14:00:00
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We've heard a lot of Hollywood celebs dismiss marriage as irrelevant or unimportant lately, from Johnny Depp to Cameron Diaz to the still-unwedded Brangelina. But the Pew Research Institute noticed an interesting trend in the U.S. Census data. They found declining marriage rates across the board, higher marrying ages, and indications that rates are still going down.
In 1960, 72 percent of adults (over the age of 18) were married. According to Pew, that number today is 51 percent, and five percent of that drop occurred between 2009 and 2010. Marriage rates declined even more for young adults. In 1960, 59 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 were married; today, it's only 20 percet. The average marrying age is 26.5 for women and 28.7 for men, compared to 20.3 and 22.8 in 1960.
In 1960, 72 percent of adults (over the age of 18) were married. According to Pew, that number today is 51 percent, and five percent of that drop occurred between 2009 and 2010. Marriage rates declined even more for young adults. In 1960, 59 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 were married; today, it's only 20 percet. The average marrying age is 26.5 for women and 28.7 for men, compared to 20.3 and 22.8 in 1960.
Top Opinion
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Andrew 2011/12/15 15:05:15No
+35Marriage will never be outdated. People are just less committed and that is obvious in practically every walk of life. Marriage is to be a stable environment in which to raise the fruit of the womb. Children need a male and female influence in order to be well rounded and both parents need to be responsible and a contributor to the family. That is sadly lacking in many homes today and the results are equally sad.
The key words with my generation are SELFISHNESS and IMPATIENCE. They want what ever is convenient for them, not love no never. It saddens me even though I don't know these people. I just don't like when people abuse marriage and sex like they are worthless or just activities of leisure.
Though the true issue is that people don't want to commit to anything real "just in case"
Marriage creates legal consequences beyond the love two people might have shared early on and motivating them to marry. Those legal conequences can be costly to exercise. Still, for many, it may be worth it to not be in the perpetual company of someone you no longer care for. But the principle for why people got married back in the day has changed significantly so it may be indeed, outmoded. "For example, for the most of Western history, marriage was not a mere personal matter concerning only husband and wife, but rather the business of their two families which brought them together. Most marriages, therefore, were arranged. Moreover, the wife usually had much fewer rights than her husband and was expected to be subservient to him. To a considerable extent, marriage was also an economic arrangement. There was little room for romantic love, and even simple affection was not considered essential. Procreation and cooperation were the main marital duties." http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexo...
Intresting how thing s have changed, thus making the way marriage was viewed way back when outdated by today's standards.
I think I may have better answered, Yes.
Marriage creates legal consequences beyond the love two people might have shared early on and motivating them to marry. Those legal conequences can be costly to exercise. Still, for many, it may be worth it to not be in the perpetual company of someone you no longer care for. But the principle for why people got married back in the day has changed significantly so it may be indeed, outmoded. "For example, for the most of Western history, marriage was not a mere personal matter concerning only husband and wife, but rather the business of their two families which brought them together. Most marriages, therefore, were arranged. Moreover, the wife usually had much fewer rights than her husband and was expected to be subservient to him. To a considerable extent, marriage was also an economic arrangement. There was little room for romantic love, and even simple affection was not considered essential. Procreation and cooperation were the main marital duties." http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexo...
Intresting how thing s have changed, thus making the way marriage was viewed way back when outdated by today's standards.
I think I may have better answered, Yes.
Is an indication of the erosion of standards and principals that will eventually lead to the the destruction of society as we know it IMO.
But I, myself, will never marry. Love doesn't last.