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Hearing Suddenly Last Summer -- The Motels
Married Minority?
Really interesting BusinessWeek story about how the percentage of adults in America who are married has declined to just over half -- down from 80% a half a century ago -- and what the implications are for society at large (and also, given the focus of that particular magazine, America's businesses).
Anecdotally, this article is entirely consonant with my personal experience among my social group, who were (are, I guess) mostly yupster types. Krissy and I were among the first of my friends to get hitched and also to have a kid; most of our friends held on to their single status for at least a few more and several are still single and in no rush to get married. The number of children in the group is also relatively small (although let me take this opportunity to note the arrival of a new one, born to my friends Naren and Ashley just yesterday. Welcome to parenthood, you nutty kids!), especially when you compare our generation with our parents' generation.
I don't think this delay is a bad thing -- again anecdotally speaking, there seem to be proportionally far fewer divorces among my friends and people I know (so far) than there are in the general population, which is at least partly due to their being older, (somewhat) wiser and more financially secure before marriage. But it does make for differences, even in the little things. When my daughter was born, I was a decade older than my mother was when I was born, and that decade has mattered for various reasons.
Speaking as a married person, I'm not particularly worried about the "decline" of marriage, especially if those who do get married are in better positions to stay married. I love being married (and specifically, being married to the person to whom I am married), and I think there are a number of advantages for those in the marriage, as well as those born into them. But I can think of lots of people I wouldn't want to see rush into a married state. And for a bunch reasons, it's not for everyone. I'd rather have fewer better marriages than a lot of marriages, too many of which might be ill-advised. Of course, that's just me.
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I worry about it considering married types are being waived in our faces by the courts as being better suited to raise children. I worry about it when I'm told by the courts that I can't marry the person of my choice. I wonder what percent would be married if gays and lesbians were allowed to be??
That Happy Chica,
Marcia Ellen
10/16/03 12:03 AM