The Current State of Marriage and Family in the United States:

Times have certainly changed over the last few decades. A study performed by the Pew Research Center, in concert with Time Magazine, outlines the drastic changes in the way Americans view marriage and family. The Time Magazine article “Marriage: What’s It Good For?” outlines the findings derived from a survey of 2,691 adults around the United States in 2008. The following are some of the interesting statistics:

• 40% of Americans think that marriage is obsolete (versus 28% in 1978). However, more than 75% of the respondents felt that marriage was best for raising children.
• In 1960, 72% of adults were married. In 2008, only 52% were married.
• College graduates are more likely to marry (64%) than individuals who do not have higher education (48%).
• Compared to fifty years ago, Americans are more likely to marry someone who has similar socioeconomic and educational achievements.
• College graduates are less likely to divorce than individuals who do not have higher education.
• In 1960, 87% of children were living with married parents. In 2008, only 64% of children are living with married parents.
• A child living with cohabitating, unmarried parents in Sweden is less likely to see their parents split up than a child living with married parents in the United States.
• 41% of children were born to unmarried mothers in 2008 (please refer to the blog concerning Affidavits of Parentage dated November 30, 2010). This is eight times more than fifty years ago.
• Only 6% of children have parents who are cohabitating outside of marriage.
• 21% of children whose parents are separated/divorced will be exposed to two live-in partners in their mothers’ homes by the time they are 15 years old. An additional 8% will see three or more live-in partners during the same time period.

For more information please view the following link: http://pewsocialtrends.org/2010/11/18/the-decline-of-marriage-and-rise-of-new-families/