is at an all-time low, according to new figures from the Pew Research
Centre.
Barely half of all US
adults are currently married, an analysis of US Census data shows. The Irish figure for 2006 is almost identical.
The figures also show
that the median age at first marriage has never been higher for brides (26.5
years) and grooms (28.7), although this is still
lower than the figures for Ireland which are 31 and 34 respectively.
The analysis of the
Census data also finds that the number of new marriages in the U.S. declined by
five percent between 2009 and 2010, a sharp one-year drop that may or may not be
related to the sour economy.
The new figures stand
in stark contrast with those from 50 years ago. In 1960, 72pc of all American
adults ages 18 and older were married; today just 51% are.
In
1986, 61pc of Irish adults over 18 were married. The figure in 1961 was 54pc.
However, for many decades after the famine, Ireland was highly unusual in that
marriages tended to take place very late.
The
authors of the US report write: “If current trends
continue, the share of adults who are currently married will drop to below half
within a few years. Other adult living arrangements—including cohabitation,
single-person households and single parenthood—have all grown more prevalent in
recent decades.”
The trend is similar
to the pattern in most other advanced post-industrial societies, and the report
says that this long-term decline has “persisted through good economic times and
bad”.
All age groups have
been affected by the declines, the report says, but the fall in marriage rates
is most dramatic among young adults.
Only 20pc of US
adults ages 18 to 29 are married, compared with 59pc in 1960, it says.
According to the
report, it is not clear whether young adults are abandoning marriage or merely
delaying it.
Seventy two percent
have been married at least once. However, this “ever married” share is down from
85pc in 1960.
The poll also
verifies the findings of a range of studies showing that marriage has declined
far less for adults with college educations than among the less educated.
Some of the increase
in the median age at first marriage over the long term can be explained by the
rising share of young adults enrolled in college, who have tended to marry later
in life; recently, there are indications that adults who are not college
graduates also are marrying later.
The report notes
other developed nations, especially those in Europe, and in some cases in less
developed nations are also seeing a similar decline in marriage.
It cites a recent
United Nations report that analysed marriage trends in the context of their
impact on fertility, which showed that the age of women at first marriage rose
from the 1970s to the 2000s in 75 of 77 countries included in its analysis.
The increase was most
marked in developed nations—and especially notable in those countries because
the age at first marriage had been declining until the
1970s.
On another measure,
the share of women ever married by ages 45-49, there were declines in all
developed nations between the 1990s and the 2000s. According to the U.N. report,
this was “due in part to an increasing acceptance of consensual [cohabiting]
unions as a replacement for marital unions.”
Younger generations
are more likely than those ages 50 and older to hold the view that marriage is
becoming obsolete. Some 44pc of blacks say marriage is becoming obsolete,
compared with 36pc of whites. Adults with college degrees (27pc) are much less
likely than those with a high school diploma or less (45pc) to agree that
marriage is becoming obsolete.
Perhaps
unsurprisingly, when analysed by respondents’ marital status, these differences
sharpen. Just 31pc of married adults agree that marriage is becoming obsolete,
compared with 46pc of all unmarried adults, 58pc of never married single parents
and 62pc of cohabiting (unmarried) parents.
However, attitudes
toward the institution of marriage do not always match personal wishes about
getting married. Asked whether they want to get married, 47pc of unmarried
adults who agree that marriage is becoming obsolete say that they would like to
wed.
Among unmarried
adults who disagree that marriage is becoming obsolete, virtually the same share
(45pc) says they want to marry. The two groups are similar in their shares of
“don’t want to get married” (26pc vs. 24pc) or “not sure” (26pc vs.
31pc).
Meanwhile, a new
study by British and Finnish researchers has shown that men who have been
married for many years will live longer than bachelors. The study also showed
that divorces people’s lifespans.
The researchers
analysed census data for 424,000 Finns and 57,000 Britons aged over 50 in 1971, 1981 and 1991. They
combined their analysis with observations of mortality from all causes between
1991-2004.
Within the observed
time period, the smallest risk to die was among men aged 50-74 who had been
married for the entire duration of the study. Married women also enjoyed longer
lifespans, but the length of marriage was not of such importance to
them.
For men, the positive
effects of enduring marriages decreased after the age of
75.
The greatest
mortality was observed among women and men who had never been married or had
divorced several times.
The researchers found
that long-lasting marriages or relationships possessed several factors that
could prolong people’s lives. An enduring relationship could signify financial
stability, availability of social support and healthy lifestyles. On the other
hand, health and lifestyle factors could determine who decides to tie the knot
in the first place.
The research was
published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community
Health.