Love without Marriage: Why More Americans Are Saying "I Don't" Than Ever Before
By: Sabrina Santucci
Updated: February 16, 2013
Loud music, a fashion runway and hundreds of excited brides-to-be arrive at a wedding event at Francesco's.
Nearby vendors waiting to sell gowns and tuxedos, even table settings. All for that special day when they will walk down the aisle and take their marriage vows.
It's a life-changing decision for a lifetime, which fewer Americans are making.
Restaurant Owner Dan Hurder says "I don't think anyone is in a hurry to get married, I have some friends who say they have no interest in getting married,
And they're not alone. The Pew Research center reports that only 51% of American adults are married. More will be single than married for the first time in our history.
Rockford College Psychology Professor Elaine Sharpe explains "what we're seeing is society has become very accepting of different living situations and they have defined family in many different ways. They can also define relationships differently. And so our younger generation is getting very comfortable with being together without having to have a legal term for it."
That's despite the fact that studies show being married will make you healthier, wealthier and help you live a longer life.
So Eyewitness News hit the street asking young men and women if they'd like wedding bells in their future.
"On one day getting married? That would be hopeful," says Jeremy Mitchell.
"My thoughts on getting married, is I'm not quite at that stage yet," explains Gregg Peters
"I've been with my fianc now for three years.We know everything about each other. There's nothing that I wouldn't want more than to be with him for the rest of my life," says Bride-to-Be Sarah Reese.
Psychology Professor Elaine Sharpe says the reason is generational. That's why she thinks the amount of people saying "I Don't" will eventually level off.
Sharpe explains "we're looking at a lot of the new marriages and the age group that you're studying is the very tail end of generation X and a lot of the generation Y. And one of the reasons why I don't think it will go down a whole lot more is that generation Y has experiences of very positive family relationships."
Sharpe
believes generation X, loosely defined as 1964 through 1981, has rejected
marriage more than any other generation. While generation Y, which runs from
1982 to 2000, is only now reaching prime marriage age.
The
average age to get married is 29 for men and 27 for women. It's the highest
it's ever been. And for generation Y money may be the main issue.
Peters
explains "I think a lot of people are holding off, especially the younger
kids having gone through the recession and stuff kind of thinking more money-wise
rather than running off and getting married without thinking about it ahead of
time."
Something
else has also changed. It used to be that more educated people waited longer to
get married than less educated people, but that too is reversing.
Hurder
says "I plan on it one day yes. I don't know when or how we will go about
that, but I
do plan on getting married some day."
And
for many young people married life remains a lifelong dream. Bride-to-
be Reese gushes "I'm just having the greatest time of my life right now
and I can't wait until next June when I can finally be a married woman."
