In U.S., Proportion Married at Lowest Recorded Levels

[tenthring]

http://www.prb.org/Articles/2010/usmarriagedecline.aspx

According to the Population Reference Bureau, the proportion of Americans age 25 to 34 who have never been married went up from 35 percent to 46 percent between 2000 and 2009.

I thought maybe it was a result of the poor dragging it down, but its relatively true for college education people.


Does this jive with what people are seeing in their lives? Almost all the people I know who are married are over 40. I can think of two married couples out of many many friends, and one of them didn't get married till their mid 30s.

I don't know why this surprises me. Maybe just that in my parents generation everyone got married, and the only people that didn't were losers that couldn't attract anyone. I bring this up because I was talking to some friends the other day about how I'm getting near my late 20s and wanted to start a family around 30. They looked at me like I was insane. Is that common? Also, what do you think is driving it? I know marriage is somewhat unnatural as an institution, but it has been around for some time.

[Dr. John Zoidberg]

Why would a secular, sex-loving, urban guy in their 20's get married?

[SirVLCIV]

Originally Posted by Dr. John Zoidberg

Why would a secular, sex-loving, urban guy in their 20's get married?

Sometimes we do irrational things.

[Dr. John Zoidberg]

this will be a fun thread i hope... today sucked in nat

[Once It Hits Your Lips]

Used to be that if you wanted to have sex, you got married
Now, if you want to have sex, stay single!

[Pseudolus]

Marriage has slid from being a norm and an institution to being seen as just a choice, one among many. Opinions will vary, but I'm for calling this a Bad Thing.

[ElDucky]

Originally Posted by tenthring

They looked at me like I was insane. Is that common?

I assume so but I don't know your friends.

For the sake of infant health it makes sense to have kids in your 20s or early 30s. Later than that raises risks of problems. On the other hand, there is a correlation between age of reproduction and life span, so delaying birth may have an effect of increasing the human life span. What does G-d think about that?

[ElDucky]

Probably has to do with the systematic destruction of America. The family institution and middle class are no more. They want the useless eaters to all to die childless anyway.

[Loner]

There's also the absurd notion increasingly held by some that you can't even think about having a kid unless you can afford everything they might ever want, and while children aren't necessary for marriage, they still tend to be a big impetus for marriage. In an age when premarital sex has lost its stigma, marriage becomes more a financial decision, and until you're having kids, it's often the case that it's cheaper not to be married.
I'd be interested to see the percent of people in the age bracket who are cohabiting. I know a few people who were living together unmarried and were consciously waiting until they decided it was time to have kids to get hitched.

[Vomik]

I only impregnate 18 year olds for their young eggs. I'm just waiting for one to say yes