Education & Distance Learning Enthusiasts- Why Wedding Bells Ring Later

Home | Education & Distance Learning Articles | Article

Why Wedding Bells Ring Later

Forecast - July 1, 2000

Researchers shed light on Gen X attitudes about love and marriage.

You've read it here before: Marriage is no longer an absolute requirement for many American couples. The impact of this cultural shift has been seen in birth data, as the number of unmarried mothers rise; in family data, as the number of cohabiting couples increases; and in marriage data itself, as men and women wait just a little bit longer to say "I do."

Why the change? The National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, led by family experts David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, conducted five focus groups around the United States to find out. They studied unmarried men and women, aged 21 to 29, who were not in college and did not have four-year college degrees. Their report "Sex Without Strings, Marriage Without Rings" suggests possible explanations behind changing birth and marriage trends.

It's not cynicism that holds people in their 20s back from marriage. Respondents described marriage as a union between soul mates, with a lifelong best friend or a kindred spirit. In fact, they see marriage as such an important step that they want to be absolutely sure that their intended is right for them in every way, researchers found. Which is why not a single respondent expressed disapproval of cohabitation. Living together before marriage is seen as a good way to give a relationship a test drive.

Achieving financial independence before marriage is increasingly important to these 20-year-olds -- especially the women, the Rutgers research team discovered. They found that this instinct to "make it on my own" is especially prevalent among African American women. Which is ideal, because the findings also indicate that men in this age group value independence in women more than any other quality. The report speculates that financial independence may be more important to these women because they've come of age in a culture with high divorce rates.

Both men and women said that they would be interested in going through marriage education or prep classes in order to have a happier marriage. And the more contented marriages these twentysomethings eventually have, the greater the chance that their children will have a more positive view of marriage, the report concludes. Respondents in this study consistently pointed to their parents' negative experiences with marriage as a strong influence on their own views.

For more information on Gen X marriage attitudes, call the National Marriage Project at (732) 932-2722.

If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this article with hundreds of other Education & Distance Learning enthusiasts from around the world, please feel free to visit the discussion forums & post a message.

Discuss this article in the discussion forums now.

Popular Education & Distance Learning Discussions From The Past

Distance Learning Recommendation Please (1 posts)
by Rich Fisher - Last post on: 01-29-04 09:19
After 15 years in the IT field, I am now seeking a career change into broadcast communications/journalism. I am nearing completion of 12 twelve credit hours at a local college (resident) but am very interested in accredited distance learning courses. To that end I have a few questions, I was hop... (Read More)

CALL FOR PAPERS: Journal of Digital Contents (1 posts)
by Journal of Digital Contents - Last post on: 01-20-04 20:39
Journal of Digital Contents http://www.formatex.org/jdc/jdc.htm Dear Colleagues, I am sending you this letter to inform about the beginning of a new international publication: Journal of Digital Contents, which could be of your interest. The international Journal of Digital Contents (J... (Read More)

Re: INFIDEL DOGS. RELEASE THE BODIES. (4 posts)
by Fox - Last post on: 07-28-03 12:59
"Islamic Jihad" wrote in message news:7ce954d2.0307281043.244ecad5@posting.google.com... > One U.S. Marine was killed and another wounded in a grenade attack in > Iraq on Sunday, the U.S. military said, bringing to five the number of > American soldiers killed in the last 24 hours. Maa shaa A... (Read More)

Douglas' dissertation (reply to Dr. Mohammed) (1 posts)
by Douglas the Clown - Last post on: 03-19-04 03:11
Dear Dr. Mohammed: Thanks for your emails. I've decided to reply your email in the public, as I believe your question of "deserves much attention." I've answered your questions about Union Institute thru a private email and I trust that you'll find the links helpful. One point I'd like ... (Read More)

You must register before posting in the Education & Distance Learning discussion forums. It's free & only takes a few seconds. Please also remember that no advertising is allowed...
Enter The Forums Here