Whatever the reasons, marriage rates for young people ages 25 to 34 have reached an all-time low, according to just-released Census data that reveals that marriages fell to a record-low level in 2009. Reportedly, 52 percent of adults 18 and older said they were joined in wedlock compared with 57 percent in 2000.
The reasons are many but lots of folks are blaming economic hard times for why fewer young people are tying the knot. But is the nation's faltering economy really to blame? Yes and no.
People can always find reasons not to do something if they want. It's an oversimplification to link the drop in the marriage rate to the economy because there are lots of factors influencing young people's reluctance to legally make a lifetime commitment. Couples have become gun-shy. They've seen too many of their friends and relatives marry only to separate a few years later. People are coupling up and having children but just not getting married first. As one unemployed male friend pointed out yesterday, "Women will be there when I'm ready."
Don't take my word for it, though. I reached out to some people yesterday who know a whole lot more on this topic than I do. One of them was gender and relationship expert Susan Shapiro Barash, who pointed out, "The world is changing so much that marriage looks different to people."
"The divorce rate has been so high for so long, hovering at 50 percent. A lot of people are skeptical. People really want children, but they don't necessarily need to be married. What people are doing is looking for alternative ways to live their lives," added Barash, whose latest book is "You're Grounded Forever . . . But First Let's Go Shopping."
"I think the downturn is part of it, but so much of the world is changing. We're in such a state of flux."
Laurie Puhn, Harvard lawyer, couples mediator and relationship expert, agreed. "People are coupling up more because it's less expensive to live together and their parents aren't yelling at them for it."
