Marriage dates back to ancient times and has evolved over time.  At one time it involved a dowry, gifts and money given to the groom and his family or a bride price, money given to the bride’s family. Marriages were often arranged by the parents.  In some cultures this still happens.  The idea of a courtly romance and marriage did not come about until the time of the troubadours.  It’s this concept of marriage that the western civilization has embraced most closely and is slowly changing in America.

The idea of marriage and its relevance to family has changed greatly over the years. Marriage was considered a sacrament, and essential to having children. Now most people look at it as a piece of paper and unneccesary. Apparently four out of ten Americans think marriage is obsolete and not needed to have a family or to be in a committed relationship.

When asked during a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center how they defined family most said that a married couple with or without children fit the definition. But four out of five said that family could be defined as an unmarried opposite sex couple with children or a single parent.

This view is driven by the experiences of the 18-29 year old demographic.  Most young people grew up in divorced single parent homes or had friends who did.  Marriage is not taken as seriously as it was in the days of our grandparents. 

Idea of being married before a couple cohabitates is also going by the wayside with more and more young people opting to live together.  The recent census shows that 7.5 million couples are living together in US without being married.

This is bound to remain a trend as younger people are more liberal in their views of marriage, spousal roles and living together. 

 

Tags: pew research center, us census, marriage, living together
Categories: What in the world?