The Downfall of Marriage


The current rate of marriage has dropped over the past 150 years. And it is a global trend–not just in the U.S. 


So, why?


Across many sources, I came to the consensus that there are four common denominators:


  • 1. Women in the Workforce

  • 2. Economic Factors/ Income Inequality

  • 3. Relationship Dynamics

  • 4. Contraception Use


  1. The first reason is that the workforce has become more inclusive of women. Truly a monumental moment in history. However, as women become so focused on investing in their careers, they become one-minded –and in return, delay marriage.. often opting it out entirely.


  1. A potential explanation for the growing gap is that growing economic inequality and the decreased economic outlook for less-educated men have led to the retreat of marriage. There is a greater income gap coming into play, and the poor are getting poorer. Couples living in areas with greater income inequality are less likely to get married before having their first child.


  1. Marriage faces opposition from today’s popular culture.


Because millennials have found an “easier” way! Millennials are choosing to test drive nuptials. Also known as–Cohabitation.


The link between marriage (vs. cohabitation) and higher levels of relationship satisfaction and trust has become evident in an analysis done by Pew Research Center. 



Pay attention to this next quote from the same study.


Married adults are also more likely than those who are cohabiting to say they have a great deal of trust in their spouse or partner to be faithful to them, act in their best interest, always tell them the truth and handle money responsibly.”


Personal pleasure without commitment is the new “ideal” setting for our generation.


“That was the motto of the '60s and the '70s, and certainly it is the motto today. The image of the bear scratching himself highlights a view of human beings as animals, and that people should do what pleases them at the moment without a thought to the broader long-term consequences of their actions.” (The Heritage Foundation)


Fewer people are living as a couple. Furthermore, the number of individuals living alone without a spouse, partner, children, or roommates has almost doubled.


  1. Last but not least, we see in a study done by CEPR, “As the failure rate for contraception fell, the cost of a sexual relationship for single women also declined.”


Sexual activity without commitment has become expected in premarital relationships.


“The use of birth control pills at first intercourse by unmarried women jumped from 6 percent to 15 percent in just a few years, a change that suggests that a much larger fraction of all sexually active unmarried women began using the pill.” (Brookings Edu.)


It seems to most people that the current costs of marriage outweigh the benefits.

However, as we dive deeper into a study done by Harvard Health: The Health Advantages of Marriage, Compared with those who are single, those who are in happy marriages tend to:

  • live longer

  • have fewer strokes and heart attacks

  • have a lower chance of becoming depressed

  • be less likely to have advanced cancer at the time of diagnosis and more likely to survive cancer for a longer period of time

  • and survive a major operation more often.

The decision of getting married requires the ability to look at the bigger picture and consider the numerous (and eternal) benefits that outweigh the mortal and personal needs that we acquire in the bonding of two people.


As stated by OSU: “The benefits of marriage are numerous and well-known. Researchers have linked marriage to better outcomes for children, less crime, increased longevity, and happier lives, among many factors. My own research revealed that marriage is associated with more wealth.”


Throughout my research, I also came across many links to how the parent style affects the children.


“Looking at the benefits for children, there is a wealth of evidence that children living in two-parent homes are better off than those in single-parent families. They are 44 percent less likely to be physically abused, 47 percent less likely to suffer physical neglect, 43 percent less likely to suffer emotional neglect, and 55 percent less likely to suffer some form of child abuse” (The Necessity of Marriage, The Heritage Foundation).


As a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ, I don’t just have the worldly benefits to look at; I have the guidance of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to guide me in this decision too. I believe that marriage is an eternal commitment and that everything we do matters further than our mortal disposition.


“No other institution reliably connects two parents, and their money, talent, and time, to their children in the way that marriage does.” -Brad Wilcox, (Why Marriage, Why Family - By Elder D. Todd Christofferson).


Sources:


Key findings on marriage and cohabitation in the U.S. | Pew Research Center


https://www.businessinasider.com/causes-of-low-marriage-rates-2014-5


https://www.bentley.edu/news/nowuknow-why-millennials-refuse-get-married


Middle class marriage is declining, and likely deepening inequality (brookings.edu)


The wife's protector: A quantitative theory linking contraceptive technology to the decline in marriage | CEPR


https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng


The Necessity of Marriage | The Heritage Foundation

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