The Decline of Marriage, 5880486

The Decline of Marriage

In the 1960s over 65 percent of 18-32 year olds in the US were married. As of 2013, that

number is down to 26 percent (Wang & Parker, 2014). In Europe there has been a roughly 40

percent decline from rates in the 1970s (Gallucci, 2014) and while it appears to be happening at a

somewhat slower pace, marriage rates overall in Asia are also definitely declining.

As the World Family Map (2014) states, Marriage is becoming more of an option for adults,

rather than a necessity for the survival of adults and children. Why? What are the likely causes

and possible consequences? These are the factors this essay will explore.

Before delving into those issues, its important to have a clear view of the situation. As

noted, the US marriage rate has significantly declined, and in 2010 America managed to hit its

lowest level in over a century (Mather & Lavery, 2010). Europes not been doing much better;

France, Spain, Italy, and Poland in particular have all been hitting record lows, and Europe as a

whole is seeing a drastic decrease in marriages. (Davies, Penketh, Burgen, Adekoya & Smith,

2014).

This downward trend is not limited to developed countries. In Taiwan thirty years ago,

only 2% of women between 30-34 years old were unmarried. In contrast, nowadays around 30%

of Taiwanese women in that age bracket are unmarried (Kotkin, 2012). The World Family Map

for 2014 states that fewer than 40% of adults in Central and South America were married. South

Africa had the lowest marriage rate of all the countries surveyed, with more children there born

out of wedlock than in it.

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There are many reasons for the state of marriage today, but perhaps the most important

one is simply the growing possibility of other options, especially for women.

As few as 100 years ago, marriage was seen as the accepted thing to do; as a necessary

ingredient for a productive and happy life. It was considered a sort of passage into adulthood.

Women were raised to cook, clean, mind the house, take care of children, and overall be

attractive and pleasing so as to secure a husband. Furthermore, it was pretty much the only way a

woman could respectably leave home and gain a greater measure of control and freedom, not to

mention the higher status implicit in being a married woman. Beyond all that, the lack of options

for decent female employment meant marriage was usually the only way to rise in society or gain

a better life. Even in the 1930s, society considered working women as un-American money

grubbers, stealing jobs from men who needed them to support their families (Moran, 1988).

Men could get an education, and thereafter a job, but still the major end goal was usually

to be suitably well-off so as to be able to maintain a wife and children. There were, of course,

confirmed bachelors and spinsters, but they were the exception. That was considered --

particularly for women, who commonly relied on marriage as their only option for a higher level

of freedom and status in society -- a state to be avoided. It was an occurrence that generally

happened only if the person in question was somehow unfortunate enough not to be able to

attract anyone.

Then the World Wars occurred, and women started entering the workplace out of

necessity. From 1940 to 1945 the number of women in the workforce rose by 50% (Women

Workers in World War II, n.d.) and, thanks in large part to the increased importance of women
 The Decline of Marriage, 5880486

outside of homes, around the end of the Second World War major strides were made concerning

the womens civil rights movement, suffrage, feminism, women employment, reproductive

rights, and birth control use (Lee, 2015).

This is relevant both because its important to keep in mind the previous purposes of

marriage (children and companionship, as well as financial stability and societal freedom for

women), and because it led to women having more rights and better access to education and

career options. Their growing independence and increased presence in the labor force proceeded

to give women more of a voice in society, which therefore allowed them to progressively affect

cultural changes. Thus began a cycle of sorts, where those further changes made it increasingly

easier and more acceptable for women to get an education and career, which then expanded their

knowledge and presence in the workplace even more, which gave them greater importance and

ability to affect society, and so on.

In America, in the late-1990s women overtook men in terms of college enrollment and

graduation and by 2013, within the age range of 25-29, 37% of women had at least a bachelors

degree, compared to 30% of men in that age range (Wang & Parker, 2014).

In Asia, from 1950 to 1990, the percentage of females aged 15-19 who were enrolled in

secondary school rose drastically. East Asia in particular saw a massive increase, from 36% in

1950 to 74% in 1990. South and Southeast Asias percentages (8% to 16% and 12% to 34%

respectively) have both doubled as well (The Changing Status of Women in Asian Societies,

2002).

Moreover, since the 1970s, the amount of women overall in tertiary education institutions

has been growing at almost double the pace of the amount of men (Chien, 2010). As stated, this
 The Decline of Marriage, 5880486

leads to women having more options. Once educated, they can get a job and thereby provide for

themselves; consequently they no longer need to rely on men for financial stability, or on

marriage as a way to better their standing.

One effect of this is that, now that there are a plethora of jobs and lifestyle options

available, many women are deciding to focus on their careers or personal goals (such as

travelling or furthering their education) instead. Marriage and having children is no longer the

be-all end-all that it once was. Other possible ways of living have emerged, and are becoming

both feasible and more accepted. All these factors contribute to a second major cause of the

decline of marriage: changing societal values.

With greater economic stability and employment opportunities come a larger number of

lifestyle options. Globalization, technological and scientific advances, declining religious values,

and increasingly liberal societal stances -- especially on matters such as sex, freedom, morals,

and rights are all also changing the way people perceive the world, and therefore, on a smaller

scale, marriage. The world now is extremely different from that of 50-60 years ago, especially in

regards to ideas about what is and isnt acceptable. In current times alternate ways of living (such

as cohabitating, not having children, having children without a partner, or having children

outside of marriage) are all are much less stigmatized than previously.

Before the 1960s, children born to unmarried parents or with unknown fathers were

looked down upon and frequently not given the same rights as those born within marriage

(Findlaw, 2015). Women with illegitimate children were pressured into putting them up for

adoption, were denied jobs and governmental aid, were treated as outcasts and, as a whole, were
 The Decline of Marriage, 5880486

shunned, shamed, and disgraced by society (Herman, 2012). Cohabitation was known as living

in sin and was also strongly discriminated against.

In contrast, while some people do still disapprove, nowadays cohabitation, illegitimacy,

and single-parenting are far more acceptable. In America alone, over 39% of all births are to

unmarried women, and surveys conducted suggest that over 90% of people believe that society

should value all types of families (Key Facts about Unmarried Americans, 2013).

Cohabitation has risen drastically, with some figures stating theres been an almost 900%

increase since the 1960s (Kuperberg, 2014). It is now not just not taboo, but actually completely

commonplace and frequently the norm, whereas less than a century ago a woman would be

completely ruined by such a choice. Now, even in developing countries many people view it as a

smart thing to do, either as an alternative to marriage, or as a way to test compatibility before

marriage. Recently, over 40% of married people surveyed in China said that they had previous

cohabitated and, as Chen Binbin, a psychology lecturer at Fudan University puts it,

Cohabitation no longer has the negative connotations it once hadits seen as a trial

marriage (Wen, 2014).

A major consequence of this is that, thanks to the possibility of cohabitation, more and

more people consider the actually act of marriage, i.e. signing into a legally binding contract to

spend their life with another person, entirely unnecessary, not to mention somewhat risky. No

longer is it necessary to marry to have a family or to get companionship from a lover. Factor in

increasing divorce rates, and marriage seems even less like a good idea. As such, most consider

it sensible to opt to try cohabitation first. In short, many people, especially if they do not wish to

have children, simply see no reason to bother with the formalities of marriage.
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Lastly, there are financial issues to take into consideration. Marriage costs money. Even

if couples dont opt for a big wedding (and most do, or at least feel pressure to do so), there are

still costs involved, such as those for legal fees, moving in together, setting up for married life,

and possibly getting a house or preparing for children. Beyond all that, recent economic troubles

-- the Chinese stock market crash, the American recession, the European debt crisis, etc. -- also

mean that many people are far more concerned with finding/keeping their jobs, saving money, or

paying off debts. Therefore they are more likely to put off marriage until a better time, which

may never come.

So, why does it matter that marriage is declining? What are the likely effects? Its

important for several reasons. Firstly, marriage is usually associated with emotional and social

benefits. Research suggests that people who are married have enhanced mental health and well-

being, less occurrences of depression and alcoholic behaviors, and overall greater health

(Horwitz, White & Howell-White, 1996).

Secondly, when compared to cohabitating families, marriage is more beneficial both

because the family unit as a whole is generally more stable, and because there is greater

commitment involved (Marriage and Child Well-Being, 2005). The significance of separation

and the difficulties inherent in doing so (such as mandatory couples counselling, legalities,

paperwork, and so on), usually means couples are more likely to try to work out relationship

issues when they arise.

Thirdly, multiple developmental issues may emerge if there isnt enough support or

attention for a child, which has a greater chance of occurring in step-families and one-parent

households. Children in married families, on average, have better parental involvement and
 The Decline of Marriage, 5880486

physical and emotional health, compared to those from single-parent or step-families (Marriage

and Child Well-Being, 2005).

One reason for this may be that in step-families theres frequently an element of He/she

isnt my kid. or, on the childs side: Youre not my dad/mom. Where one-parent families are

concerned, the strain is usually present because there is only one person to look after the child,

and as a result that parent is then under greater pressure to support them both, without the

secondary source of income that a second parent could provide. This commonly means the

parent must work more and therefore have less time to spend with his/her child.

Thats assuming the parent can find enough work to sufficiently provide for the family in

the first place. Economically, single-parent families have been linked with child poverty, which

is again in large part down to the simple fact that there is only one major source of income

(Kornbluh, 2012). Child poverty in and of itself can also lead to various developmental problems

-- such as those caused by lack of adequate nutrition and resources, to say nothing of the

educational, social, mental, and physical harms -- regardless of adequate parental attention,

which can only do so much if basic needs like food, clean water, and shelter are not being

sufficiently met.

This all matters because children make up the next generation; theyre the factors that

affect how society will be in 40-50 years time, or even sooner. Theyre the politicians, the

world leaders, the diplomats, the engineers, the scientists, the mathematicians, the teachers, the

thinkers and great minds of the future. Its vitally important that they are developmentally sound,

in both mind and body. Ideally, the future population should be emotionally stable, healthy, and

well-adjusted.
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Lastly, theres also the potential issue of a slowly dwindling population and labor force.

Birth rates are declining worldwide, and are currently around half of what they were in the

1950s. Back then the average global fertility rate was five children per woman, compared to only

2.58 children per woman now (Palet, 2014). While there are undoubtedly many elements

involved in the decline of the worlds population rate, it can likely be attributed at least in part to

the decreasing number of marriages. Historically, the main purpose of marriage was to start a

family, which means having children. Consequently, a decrease in marriages would then mean

fewer children being born. Theoretically it is possible that the rise in children born outside of

marriage may eventually balance birth rates out, but that doesnt seem to be the case.

This leads to old-age dependency countries like Japan, where the number of elders --

who can no longer work -- is hugely disproportionate to the number of young people who can

take care of them and participate in the labor force. This causes economic and social problems,

because the government must then allocate monetary resources to provide for those elderly, as

they do not have children of their own to take care of them. Beyond that, not enough people in

the workforce results in a countrys economy slowly stagnating, due to not enough innovation

and/or energetic, creative workers to propel it along.

In short, a multitude of factors have contributed to the current state of marriage today.

Economics, shifting societal values, greater education, growing divorce rates, increased

cohabitation, a changing workforce, and the acceptance of alternate ways of living (such as

having children outside of marriage or simply choosing not to have children) all influence the

way people think about marriage and how they decide to answer the question of whether or not

its desirable to enter into. The numbers suggest that more and more often the answer is no.
 The Decline of Marriage, 5880486

This is a problem for the couples choosing not to get married, because marriage can

provide them with a myriad of health benefits. Its an even more significant problem for the

children of unmarried parents, because children raised outside of marriage have an increased risk

of developmental issues, and a greater likelihood of having educational, physical, social, and

mental health complications (Jensen, 2009). Its a problem for the economy because its leading to

a dwindling work force and all the ensuing difficulties caused by that issue. Lastly, its a problem

for the world at large, because in the end, children make up the future population. As such, the

way theyre raised will have untold, far-reaching effects that will eventually shape the society of

the future.
 The Decline of Marriage, 5880486

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