Unmarried American adults outnumber their married counterparts for the first time since the federal government began tracking that data in 1976, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
There were 124.6 million single Americans in August — accounting for 50.2 percent of the 16-and-over US population, the BLS data showed.
Eric Klinenberg, an NYU sociology professor who tracks marriage trends, predicts the unmarrieds will probably be edging their married peers by this small margin for the foreseeable future.
“I don’t expect the proportion of singles to go much higher, but it could go up a bit more,” he said. “Marriage rates are going down all over the developed world as people experiment with new ways to organize their lives and their relationships.”
The percentage of single adults has been hovering just below the 50 percent mark since 2013, before finally getting over the majority hurdle this summer, data show.
Back in 1976, the unmarried crowd accounted for 37.4 percent of the adult population. It’s been trending upward ever since.
But while the numbers might look stark, Americans are still getting together — they’re just not racing down the aisle.
“Just because people are not getting married doesn’t mean they’re not partnering and cohabitating,” said Karen Guzzo, a sociology professor at Bowling Green State University.
Marriage has existed for thousands of years, since before recorded history. But it would seem that most Americans don't see marriage as a necessity anymore. People are starting families, buying homes, and living their lives without ever considering marriage. I don't see this as a good thing, but I don't see it as a bad thing either. I don't like it, I'd rather see people married before starting families. But as times change, so do social norms. In my opinion it just seems more beneficial to marry your partner rather than just live together. Marrying the person you love seems like the thing to do before continuing with life, but apparently it's not a necessity. Which is fine. It seems like this is a trend that shows no sign of slowing, and soon Married people will become an even smaller minority.
What does NSG think about marriage? Do you plan on getting married, are you? Will this hurt the LGBT movement? Is Marriage outdated? Is it a good thing marriage is on the way out? Are there any draw backs to a declining marriage rate?
