1. AMERICAN MARRIAGE IN THE EARLY
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Natalie Williams

2. MARRIAGE 1890-2002
 In 1890’s
 Men married at around age 26
 Women at age 22
 In 1950’s
 Men married at 23
 Women at age 21
 In 2002
 Men marry around age 26-27
 Women marry around 25-26

3. COHABITATION
 Evolving phenomenon
 Same Sex couples more likely to live together
 Trial Marriage
 see what it’s like to live with another before you marry
them
 Normally don’t last long
 Half will end up splitting up
 Can be through break up of boyfriend/girlfriend
 Through marriage

4. TWO PARENTS VS. ONE PARENT
 1960-2002
 Two parent families start to decline
 62 percent
 One parent families increases
 27 percent
 Neither parent
 4 percent

5. CURRENT SITUATION OF MARRIAGE
 16% of people agreed main purpose of marriage is
to have children
 94% want a soul mate
 Marriage remains a popular among the low and
middle class whether they can afford it or not
 Homosexual couples want marriage
 More apparent in U.S than in other developed
Western Nations

6. INTO AND OUT OF MARRIAGE
 517 divorces per 1,000 marriages
 Experience going in and out of more marriages
than any other Western Nations
 Children are more likely to be around multiple
unions
 U.S has twice as many unions as Sweden does
 Cohabitating can increase the number of unions a
person has

7. MARRIAGE IN A NEW LIGHT
 Marriage is more optional
 People can choose to have families
 Marriage is based more on the individual
 Less centered on the children
 With less children, less competition for parents attention
 With people having multiple unions, the children are
placed in more unstable situations
 Although, people divorce or break up, marriages
continue to thrive in U.S.

8. CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION
20 years from now, do you think people
will still value marriage or do you think it
eventually will be a thing of the past?