| MARITAL STATUS | ||
| Population 15 years and over | 221,148,671 | 100.0% |
| Never married | 59,913,370 | 27.1 |
| Now married, except separated | 120,231,273 | 54.4 |
| Separated | 4,769,220 | 2.2 |
| Widowed | 14,674,500 | 6.6 |
| Female | 11,975,325 | 5.4 |
| Divorced | 21,560,308 | 9.7 |
| Female | 12,305,294 | 5.6 |
I can't believe that 54.4% of everyone over 15 is married. This is incredibly reassuring to me. I've grown up in a single-parent household and have just assumed that I will be divorced eventually. I am just so surprised right now that that many people are married and not divorced! 27.1% of everyone has never been married, so the divorce rate is not as high as I thought it was in my head.
My experience seeing my parents separate has absolutely shaped my views of divorce. It is so normal to me and I can see how easily it can happen that I'm kinda surprised that so many people can do it [marriage].
I'm really interested in the idea that I could be with someone for the rest of my life but never be officially get "married". Maybe I just don't see the big deal about getting married. I watch the show Gene Simmons Family Jewels and he and his lady have been together for YEARS but never officially got married. they seem to have a fantastic relationship and also have two kids (one must be 17 and the other is in college). I would love to be with someone who didn't care about the lables of boyfriend girlfriend wife etc.
ReplyDeletemaybe because i've seen too many of my friends from high school get sucked into getting married too quickly.
ReplyDeleteI can't find the article where I read those similar statistics, but one of the main things it said is that divorce rate is going down but so is the marriage rate, like Cammy said. Too bad their isn't a way to find out how many people have been together just as long as most married couples. I know a lot of people that are like that and this one woman I work with has been with her boyfriend for 17 years, they had separate houses up until this year and still they just bought both sides of a town house, so they could be next to each other but not living together. I think that is so interesting!
ReplyDeleteI was looking at the San Francisco earthquake and found this really cool site about the increase in Marriage after the disaster. It really makes you think about what brings people together and what tears them apart. http://www.sfgenealogy.com/1906/06index.htm
I think that there are so many social constructs about marriage now that it is hard to look beyond that to decide when you meet the right person, if it really is the right person. I NEVER saw myself getting married so young, I wanted to wait until I was 30 for sure, my parents weren't too thrilled either at first and I am still constantly asked why by people I don't even know. But I know in my heart that this is the right one and like a deck of cards, sometimes you flip it over and it's the Ace the first time, sometimes it appears the 20th time, sometimes it is the 52nd card! The best thing we can do as individuals is to know ourselves and not idealize about people we are with, know when you found the right one because they are your best friend. If marriage is something that you aren't comfortable with then don't do it if things are good the way they are. I think for most people that do want to get married it is a religious thing- you are bonded for life, for better or worse and you promise to love that person like Jesus loves us (imagine how hard that is) even if you aren't a christian you know he sacrificed his life for his people.
Maybe it is about time that people forget about all those social standards and just do what they feel is right. I wonder if people are more likely to stay together not being married because they don't have to deal with the pressure of that label? Wish they could do a poll on that.
Also, Jean Marie, could you post a tough question on my blog based on the lesson I am teaching? I want to try to anticipate all the questions that might arise before they happen. Thanks!
ReplyDelete