The new minority...people who are married...Do you believe that survey?

Question

In 1930, married couples accounted for 84 percent of households in the U.S. By 1990 that number had declined to about 56 percent. In 2005 it slipped to 49.7 percent.

Why would people not want to get married. With religion becoming more and more encouraged/visable with the teleavangelists and religious movement into politics in some parts of the country, why aren't people marrying?

I have been told many young couples have been told they had to wait two years or more for a hall...is this a factor?

Are divorced people staying single and not want to go through the heartache of another divorce?

Your thoughts.

Answer 1

Hmmm....marriage.... what a tricky subject! I think that an obvious answer to this question is that not only has the divorce rate risen but also the number of people that are co-habitating has risen as well.

Back in 1930, a lot of people got married for two reasons 1.) it was expected of them and 2.) they wanted to get the hell out of their parents' house. You've also got to remember that back in 1930, women were not in the workforce so if you wanted to get the hell out of your parents' house - you had to get married!!!

Likewise, if you've ever been through a tough marriage, being single is rather nice. Not only that, but you also are less apt to marry somebody cuz you think you are in love with them. You wait around and see what their true colors are like.

Personally, I don't think you should marry somebody until you have been with them for at least two years. Reason being, the first two years of a relationship are the "infatuation" phase and everything after that is what some people call "covenant love".

And, yeah, a lot of my friends have a HUGE waiting time for the hall and worse yet, a lot of people don't plan on getting married for at least a 1 year and a 1/2 after the proposal anyway due to financial constrictions. A lot of things can go wrong in this time frame and a lot of engagements are broken off.

Religious movements should have nothing to do with marriage. Sure, marriage involves God but it also involves a whole lot more. I would never get married cuz some person told me to! I also find that most people that love to preach God to you are also the biggest hypocrites of all time. Not only the famous ones that have been exposed (Jim and Tammy Faye - to name a couple) but also those that are regular everyday people like you and I.

I don't know if I answered your question but those are my thoughts!!!

Answer 2

The world as you well know has changed greatly since the depression era of the 30's. Back then it was almost necessary to get married due to the politics, depression and other factors of that era. As the years have gone by our thoughts have changed. Some of this is fueled by the ever present media which seems to have taken over our society in the last 20 years. There are too many sheep and not enough border collies as my hubby likes to say. People today hear or see something on the media outlets and assume it's the absolute! You also have had the population slightly more than double in the last 70 years so yes it is harder to find a hall or other things of that nature. I won't get started on polotics or religion here because most people don't share my viewpoints on either. Suffice to say that it is harder now a days with everyone able to announce their feelings so easily and so many different view points that some people are just too confused and don't know how to make their own decisions on things like this. We just have too many sheep in this world looking for someone to follow instead of making their own path in life!
Good question!

Answer 3

I think there are a lot of factors that come into play. A wedding can be very expensive, and not everyone's parents are willing to flip the bill, or the couple believes they should pay for their own wedding, and need more time to save up for it. I think many people are very afraid of divorce. This generation has, in a sense, been a product of divorce and broken marriages, and they don't want the same thing for themselves, so they wait until they are very sure before getting married. Also, I think society's values are shifting. There was a time when it would be very shameful for a couple to live together out of wed-lock, but it has become more and more acceptable. There also used to be a time when having a child out of wed-lock was very unacceptable, and pregnant young mothers were shipped off to have the baby somewhere else, or they were forced to get married via "shotgun weddings." However, this too has become more acceptable as society's values change.

Answer 4

Due to the wonderful work of lawyers, most people that have gone through a divorce know it's costly and rips you through a knot hole the hard way. Most of your couples now also are from mixed family households and do not want the heartache their respective families went through. Plus it's a lot cheaper if things do not work out to be able to move out, etc if the legal paperwork is not there. Plus for some reason, and other women please don't take this wrong, and soon as that piece of metal and piece of paper are signed, you become different creatures. Guess the saying is true:
The person you date, the person you move in with and the person you marry are three totally different creatures!

Answer 5

You've missed out the increasing divorce rate since the 1930's - it is now closer to 1-in-2 than it is to 1-in-3.

Societal values have changed over the last 100 years. In the past, men needed someone to look after them, cook, clean etc. And women needed someone to work and bring in the mulla. Nowadays, women can do all of that themselves and men are slowly coming to terms with this new society. They look after themselves, take more pride in their appearance, try things like cooking and cleaning themselves (sometimes!) because they understand these things don't attract women anymore. Generally, society is distancing itself from, well, itself. Young people are hip to the fact that marriage doesn't sustain itself like it used to, so they think twice about that commitment.

Also, religion is hardly taken to heart like it was 100 years ago either. Being an agnostic, I think people are wise to that fact that God (or whoever you want to call it) isn't going to save them, or the world and they have to path their own lives out. That they won't get sent to Hell if they divorce or have a child before getting married. I personally don't think that marriage holds much religious impact at all. People don't get married to get into God's good books anymore or to be ordained before having children etc.

Answer 6

Two years for a hall? I got married 5 months ago and we started planning 8 months in advance. We got our hall seven months before the wedding and the church too. Of course the more popluar halls in your area book quicker.

As for the reasons young people do not get married...

single woman want to feel independent. THey want to feel as if they dont need a man.

As for me, the moment i realized i didnt NEED a man is when I met my husband and thought..."I dont need him , but I WANT him".

Answer 7

1) do you believe in God? No. 2) Ghosts? Well, im not actually sure, it's like if i see one, then i may believe. 3) black magic? No. 4) love at first sight? Yes. 5) the inner goodness of human? Yeah, we all have it. 6) vampires? haha, no. 7) life after death? No. 8) the soul never dies? No. 9) yourself? Yes of course i do. -Thanks.

Answer 8

I think people are always on the look out for some better or being with only one person is not enough an more.

"you have to life your life" bullshit!!

And all the gay, bi and les action is all so F.U.cking wiht the number of people getting married.

Answer 9

Women nowadays are becoming more independent and no longer need a man to support them or make them happy. It is also hard to find someone on the same level as many people, as more and more women are becoming career women. Men want to marry someone lower than themselves , generally speaking and women want to marry someone higher than themselves who has more education and background. That is hard when many women are so career oriented and educated.

Answer 10

yes i believe that is true