Marriage Rates Continue to Decline as Young People Feel Less Pressure to Marry & Raise Children
The National Center of Health Statistics [HCHS] issued a new report on US marriage rates yesterday and it showed that fewer Americans are getting married, dropping to its lowest level since 1900. In 2018 there were just 6.5 new marriages per 1,000 Americans, down from 6.9 per 1000 in 2017 and down from its peak of 16.4 in 1946, right after WWII ended. The rate at which we get married has varied since 1946, but never approaching today's low.
CDC/HCHS: "Marriage rates increased beginning in 1963, reaching a relative peak of 10.9 in 1972. The rate then fell to 9.9 during 1976 and 1977 before increasing to 10.6 in 1980–1982. From 1982 to 2009, marriage rates almost steadily declined, before stabilizing from 2009 to 2017 at a range between 6.8 and 7.0."
There are numerous reasons for the decrease [fewer people want children, cohabitation is no longer stigmatized], but it boils down to this; Americans no longer feel that marriage is essential to a happy life. According to recent research, fewer than one-in-five Americans believe that getting married is necessary to live a fulfilling life, while more than half say that a "having a career or job they enjoy" is essential.
The decrease in marriage is simply a reflection of how society and our priorities have changed. Young people today have a wide variety of choices that weren't available [socially acceptable] 50 years ago and most don't feel pressured to marry and raise families. And recent studies demonstrate that almost no one misses the rigid social mores of the 1950s. Choice is good.
By: Don Lam & Curated Content
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