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Marriage :. What’s it Good For?. The wedding of the 20 th century, Prince Charles and Lady Diana, turned out badly and ended in scandal, divorce, and death. In 1960, the year before Princess Diana was born, nearly 70% of American adults were married. Today, only about half are.
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Marriage: What’s it Good For?
The wedding of the 20th century, Prince Charles and Lady Diana, turned out badly and ended in scandal, divorce, and death. • In 1960, the year before Princess Diana was born, nearly 70% of American adults were married. • Today, only about half are. • In the 1960’s, about 2/3 of 20-somethings were married. • In 2008 only 28% were • College graduates are now far more likely to marry (64%) than those with no higher education than high school (48%)
The Pew Survey tells us that nearly 40% of Americans think marriage is obsolete, but according to the 2010 census– 70% of us have been married at least once.
Income, age, and experience alter our chances for wedded bliss. The survey shows that although marriages are less likely to survive now than they were in the 1970’s, the survival rate goes up or down directly in proportion to the amount of education that women have.
Divorce Rates vs. Cohabitation The rate of cohabitation has gone up significantly from 2000 to 2009– giving one possible reason for the divorce rate decline between 2000 and 2009.
The rate of cohabitation has increased steadily in lower educated to highly educated groups of women.
The number of Americans who have never been married has increased steadily from 1970 to 2006. There is speculation that the higher rates of cohabitation also affect this statistic.
Modern brides and grooms tend to be older and have more in common in regards to their socioeconomic and educational levels. • More women than men have graduated from college in the last several decades. • Women’s increased earning power makes it so that women don’t have to stay in an unhappy marriage. • In 1970, 40% of wives worked outside the home; now 61% do.
There are a good number of people who have happy and fulfilled marriages.
Sources: • “Monitoring the Future” surveys conducted by Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan • US Census Bureau 2006 and 2010 • “Marriage: What’s it Good For?”; written by Belinda Luscombe