The Unmarried American

The Unmarried American

August 5th, 2006 @ 2:40 pm by Mrs. Bee

The New York Times has an interesting article today about the decline of middle-aged Americans who are marrying.

At virtually every level of education, fewer Americans are marrying. But the decline is most pronounced among men with less education. Even marriage rates among women professionals over 40 - who, it was once said, had a better chance of being killed by a terrorist than of finding a husband - have stabilized in recent years.

The decline in marriage can be traced to many factors, experts say, including the greater economic independence of women and the greater acceptance of couples living together outside of marriage. For men without higher education, though, dwindling prospects in the labor market have made a growing percentage either unwilling to marry or unable to find someone to marry them... And the dwindling pool of women in this category often look for a mate with more education and hence better financial prospects.

8 Responses to “The Unmarried American”

Guest

WOW…I’m surprised that 32% WOULDN’T “marry down for love”…isn’t love more important than money? I think so.

8/6/06 @ 6:03 am (reply)

Guest

Jen

Me too.

8/6/06 @ 10:06 am (reply)

Guest

Miss Ant

I totally agree that love is more important than money.

But the question was about more than money. It was also about education. The article was about men without college degrees and high school dropouts.

As someone who is going to spend almost 30 years of my life in school (oh boy) and may dedicate the rest of my life to academic research, I would find it difficult to raise children with someone who doesn’t value education as much as I do. Of course, that’s an assumption that could be wrong depending on the individual.

However, in the end, I still voted for Yes because I am a hopeless romantic!

8/6/06 @ 10:45 am (reply)

Guest

I just don’t like how that’s even worded…”marrying down”…if you love a person you don’t look “down” on them. I dunno. Maybe I’m just reading too much into it.

8/6/06 @ 10:50 am (reply)

Guest

Mrs. Bee

I had a difficult time wording that poll. But Miss Ant is right - the article is referring to men who don’t have college degrees or are high school dropouts rather than men who are wealthy vs. not… that’s what it meant by “marrying down.” sorry if the wording seems derogatory!

8/6/06 @ 11:04 am (reply)

Guest

waisze

i believe that you can’t help who you fall in love with, but now that i’ve had experience with dating and such, if i had to do it all over again, i know i’d be mindful of certain qualities and that would include someone who has education. Having some money would help too, and if not money, then ambition to do well is equally important.

8/6/06 @ 12:43 pm (reply)

Guest

cella

My fiance grew up poor and didn’t finish college. I went to private schools and am now in law school. I’m sure some people see that as marrying down, but I don’t. He’s just as intelligent as I am and he’s my best friend! I always had dreams of a big career and he can’t wait to stay at home with the kids. I couldn’t imagine someone’s life plans complementing mine more perfectly.

8/6/06 @ 2:09 pm (reply)

Guest

kanipark

oops… i thought you meant lowering your standards… i would definitely marry for love above money…

8/7/06 @ 11:27 am (reply)