WASHINGTON—The share of Americans getting married has fallen to its lowest level on record, according to government figures released Wednesday that reflect how economic insecurity and changing norms are eroding the institution.
The U.S. marriage rate fell 6% in 2018, with 6.5 new unions formed for every 1,000 people, according to a report by the National Center for Health Statistics. That was the lowest rate since the federal government began keeping data in 1867, said Sally Curtin, a statistician at the center and lead author of the report.Marriage rate in the United States(1900–2018)Source: National Center for Health Statistics1905’20’35’50’65’80’95’10051015
“Millennials are in peak marriage years, their 20s and 30s, and it’s still dropping,” Ms. Curtin said. “This is historic.”
The new report shows how marriage rates plunged near the start of the Great Depression in the 1930s, then rebounded sharply after World War II, hitting a high of 16.4 marriages per 1,000 people in 1946. The marriage rate began a near-steady decline in 1982 that lasted until 2009, then remained near flat before inching upward in 2014. Ms. Curtin said there was no clear […]
In my personal view, this is a sign that is a significant improvement for the environment. It will not bode well for the economy, but we do need less people on the planet to help manage climate change. There are positive and negative consequences to this development, and I believe the positive ones outweigh the negative ones. There should be one more sin in the Christian and other Bibles of the word: THOUGH SHALT NOT OVERPOPULATE THE EARTH!
Men are realising marriage is just too risky. Divorce, child custody laws are completely in favour of women. Why would I want to work hard only to have 60-70% of my hard-earned dollars end up going to a woman that can end a marriage on a whim. 80% of divorces are initiated by the woman. Why on earth would a man do this?