It’s a Complete Mystery
Posted by lex, on January 9th, 2012
The institution of marriage in the US is in sharp decline, according to a UVa sociology professor:
For the first time in memory, unmarried Americans will soon outnumber those who are married, according to the latest research. So is this a watershed moment?
At first glance it would appear that, in common with many Western countries, marriage is in terminal decline in the United States.
In 1960, 72% of all American adults were married; in 2010 just 51% were, according to the Pew Centre. The number dropped sharply by 5% in the most recent year, 2009-10.
“I think we are on the cusp of seeing marriage becoming less central to our life course and in framing the lives of our nation’s children. So I think it is a major moment in that regard,” says Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project and a sociology professor at the University of Virginia.
I can’t for the life of me imagine why.