Does Marriage still matter,Where is the love?

Well it looks like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are gonna tie the knot!After years of having the ultimate "Modern family they have decided the best way to profess their undying love for each other isn't in the most modern way but in one of the most ancient and traditional ways,Marriage.

In America as around the world the actual institution of marriage is in sharp decline.Marriage rates have dropped tremendously among young adults ages 25 to 34 during the past decade and the decline has accelerated since the onset of the worldwide recession, according to analysis of new data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey (ACS) and 2010 Current Population Survey (CPS). The data suggest that more young couples are delaying marriage or foregoing matrimony altogether, likely as an adaptive response to the economic downturn and decline in the housing market.

Between 2000 and 2009, the share of young adults ages 25 to 34 who are married dropped 10 percentage points, from 55 percent to 45 percent, according to ACS data.During the same period, the percentage who have never been married increased sharply, from 34 percent to 46 percent. In a dramatic reversal, the proportion of young adults in the United States who have never been married now exceeds those who are married.

Among the total population ages 18 and older, the proportion married dropped from 57 percent in 2000 to 52 percent in 2009. 

This is the lowest percentage recorded since information on marital status was first collected by the U.S. Census Bureau more than 100 years ago.Among women, the proportion married dropped below 50 percent (to 49.9 percent), so the number of unmarried women (including those who are separated, widowed, divorced, and never married) outnumber married women, possibly for the first time in U.S. history. In 2009, there were an estimated 59.5 million adult women who were married, compared with 59.8 million women in other marital categories.

Many people who are classified as single are actually in cohabiting relationships with opposite- or same-sex partners. In fact, the sharp decline in marriage has been accompanied by a rapid increase in the number of cohabiting couples, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in September, 2010.Cohabitation has been on the rise for several decades, but the Census Bureau links the recent increase in cohabiting couples to rising unemployment rates and growing economic uncertainty, especially among young men. Given the scope of the recent recession, many more couples are likely to choose cohabitation over marriage in the coming years.

  Results from the Census Bureau's CPS, released in September 2010, show that the decline in marriage rates continued in 2010. Marriage rates have dropped among all major racial/ethnic groups and for both men and women. However, there are substantial differences in marriage trends by level of education. CPS data show that those with only a high school diploma (or less) have experienced a steep decline in marriage during the past decade. In contrast, marriage rates have held fairly steady for those with at least a bachelor's degree.

Between 2000 and 2010, the proportion of young adults who are married dropped 10 percentage points (to 44 percent) for those with a high school diploma or less. For those with at least a bachelor's degree, the percent married dropped only 4 percentage points, to 52 percent. This divergence in trends has led to a growing "marriage gap" between those at different ends of the educational scale.

The marriage gap used to be reversed. Prior to the 1990s, marriage rates among those with a high school diploma or less were higher than those with a four-year college education. The college-educated were more likely to postpone marriage compared with those in less-educated groups. Marriage rates today look very different, with higher proportions of young, highly educated adults entering formal unions, and a sharp drop among those with less education.

Marriage used to be a near-universal phenomenon in the United States. Estimates from the mid-1960s show marriage levels of 80 percent or more among young adults ages 25 to 34. Starting in the 1970s, several factors contributed to a steady decline in marriage, including rising divorce rates, an increase in women's educational attainment and labor force participation, and a rise in cohabitation as an alternative or precursor to marriage. Although marriage rates have dropped among young adults, it is important to note that most young adults will go on to marry later in life. The probability of an adult getting married at some point during their lifetime is still nearly 90 percent.

Another factor contributing to the decline in marriage rates, especially for less educated groups, is the rise in women's earnings relative to men. Family demographers point out that as women's wages have increased, fewer women rely on a spouse or partner to provide a weekly paycheck. Women now outnumber men in U.S. colleges, and a recent report by the Pew Research Center showed that there is a rapidly growing number of women who outearn their husbands.  
Demographer Andrew Cherlin argues that women's higher earning capacity, and the declining economic prospects of young men without a college degree, are key factors contributing to the decline in marriage in recent years.The recession has exacerbated this trend because of its disproportionate impact on men with fewer job skills and less education.

 
These trends are significant because marriage is associated with many benefits for families and individuals, including higher income, better health, and longer life expectancy. One reason for these benefits may be that people with higher potential earnings and better health are "selected" into marriage, resulting in better outcomes for married couples. However, most researchers agree that marriage also has an independent, positive effect on well-being.Therefore, the recent decline in marriage may contribute to worse outcomes for less educated individuals, beyond those resulting from the recent recession.

The decline in marriage may also affect conditions for the younger generation, because of the growing number of children born to unmarried parents. In 2008, non marital births accounted for 41 percent of all births in the United States. Although roughly half of these non marital births are to cohabiting couples, these unions tend to be less stable and have fewer economic resources compared with married couples. Therefore, declining marriage rates put more children at risk of growing up poor, which can have lasting consequences for their health and future economic prospects. While the facts are alarming and even still quite discouraging for those that are looking to get married I still believe in marriage.For me  as the child of a divorced family that is a huge statement.I have always been fascinated by large families.A family to me means everything.It is the un explored promise land that we all have heard about and but only a few(according to statistics) have experienced.
 
My parents tried the marriage thing out and after nearly ten years,gave up never to marry again.I wonder if the taste of married life or the distaste of it passed on to me somehow.I have had the opportunity to date a variety of exceptional young ladies and even had a couple of rather long relationships.One such relationship lasted more than 6 years and the ending of that relationship left a scar that changed my view in ways that soured the possibility of marriage.

For me to "get married" was  little more than a fairy tale.With time and the surprising development of a new relationship I have come to understand the essence of cause and affect as it relates to my experience and it's long term effect on me and my personal views of the institution. I think that a public commitment through the act of "marriage" is huge physically as well as psychologically. I also have a very serious issue with those couples that become so co dependent that you can no longer identify them as individuals.
I actually like being "me" and am attracted to other individuals that are comfortable with their identity in a way that lures me into them and thier world of discovery
all the while maintaining my own individuality. For quite some time I thought this could be better accomplished in a committed non marital relationship.


I believe that it is still very possible but feel more convinced in the 
substantial ,social statement that exists in the spirituality of the marital commitment.
While it doesn't make a family any more or less legitimate in the way people felt it did so many years ago. It does send an undeniable message to children about loyalty,unity,responsibility,and commitment that lasts for generations.The "no half stepping" philosophy is one that I hope to set for my daughter or son (whenever that happens) in the same way that my Grandparents set for me and in the way they lived their lives.
I now solidly believe that the decision of whether or not to get married is one that is deeply personal and should only be taken by two individuals with the determination to hold together for all their mortal years,till death do they part ways.

It is a serious act,a sacred act,and one that should be held far above all others.I believe that the affects of failure are too great on the subsequent generations.It is because of this fact and the amount of respect that I have for this institution that I have managed to see my 45 birthday without yet having been married. In hindsight it is better that I waited,I think that my views of relationships and the persons that I might have married would only have led to failure and disaster. I think the secret component is also timing.  I have seen people break up only to get back together years later.This act supports the theory that two people could be right for each other just connect at the wrong time.
 
With all of these facts and opinions I stand in happy faith that the light will soon shine my way and when it does I know that this time I will be ready and without false expectations or unreal theories that would limit my ability to enjoy all that this ancient institution holds for those that dare to explore.