A new Family Profile from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) at Bowling Green State University revealed that the marriage rates in U.S. currently stand at their lowest in a century with fewer people getting married and more people waiting longer to take their vows.
As the concept of live-in relationships becomes popular, people are less likely to get married or are waiting longer to tie the knot. They grow comfortable living with each other without the burden of commitment. This has led to a dramatic decline in marriage rates in the U.S. According to a new Family Profile from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) at Bowling Green State University, the marriage rate in U.S. currently stands at 31.1 ( roughly 31 marriages per 1,000 married women), which is the lowest it has been in a century. The greatest decline has been observed among African Americans.
Since 1970, the marriage rate has declined by almost 60 percent. "Marriage is no longer compulsory," said Dr. Susan Brown, co-director of the NCFMR in a press release. "It's just one of an array of options. Increasingly, many couples choose to cohabit and still others prefer to remain single."
As more people wait longer to tie the knot, the age at which women have their first marriages has also increased and now stands at 27 years. In 1920, the marriage rate was a staggering 92.3 and the divorce rate among women was a mere one percent. However, this rate has increased to 15 percent over the years with more women separating or getting divorced from their husbands.
