NASHVILLE — Only 51 percent of Americans age 18 and older are married, compared to 57 percent a decade ago, according to a new study. And while young adults aspire to marry, it’s not a priority.
The median age when women first marry is at a new high of older than 26, and the corresponding age for men is almost 29, the Pew Research Center said. By comparison, in 1960, 72 percent of all adults were married in the United States. The median age for brides was barely 20 and grooms were just a couple of years older, The Washington Post noted Dec. 13.
In 2010, 7.5 million couples were living together without being married, representing a 13 percent increase in just one year. The Post said the economy is largely to blame, with dating couples struggling to support two households but not being willing to commit to marriage.
Sociologist Andrew Cherlin at Johns Hopkins University told The Post that in the 1950s marriage was mandatory but now it’s “culturally optional.” Just last year Pew found that more than four in 10 Americans under 30 consider marriage old-fashioned.
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