marriage as a social institution has fascinated me. it is a social institution so strong that nearly everyone does it. the United States has higher rates of marriage than those of other industrialized countries, though numbers are declining in recent years. about 80-90 percent of Americans marry at some point in their lives.
the average age to get married has increased, as well. in 2003, men got married at an average of 27 and women at 25. this is a full year or two later than in 1990 and five years later than in 1950. it is believed that this is due to an increase in cohabitation.
blacks are less likely to get married than whites, and if they do, they do at a later age. 2001 data shows that the percent of people 'ever married' is 56.7 for blacks and 78.2% for whites. [interestingly, black men have sex at an earlier age that white men.]
there has also been an increase in interracial marriages. i see this as an example of our country becoming more tolerant.
regarding class and education, those with less education marry earlier while people with more education marry at a later age. this can be explained by the fact that people will wait until after they finish their education to tie the knot.
some recognize that they do not have to get married. historically, one had to get married to have a family. in the US, the percentage of births to unmarried women has steadily increased in the past few decades, from 5.3 percent in 1960 to 35.7 percent in 2004. the office for national statistics reports that the percent of children born outside of marriage in the UK has risen from 12% in 1980 to 42% in 2004.
despite all this, and government debate on the definition of marriage, why do we still want to do it?
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