Thursday, October 3, 2024

US Marriage Rates 10-3-24

Marriage rates in the United States have changed significantly since 1960, with a decline in the percentage of married adults and an increase in the average age of first marriage:  

Percentage of married adults

In 1960, 72% of adults in the US were married, but by 2011 that number had dropped to 51%. This decline is due to a number of factors, including a rise in the average age of first marriage and an increase in the percentage of people who are divorced or separated. 

Average age of first marriage: The average age of first marriage has increased by about five years in the last 50 years. 

Number of married couples: The number of married couples in the US has increased from 40.2 million in 1960 to 62.18 million in 2023. However, this increase could be due to population growth rather than a change in marriage rates. 

Marriage rate by education: The percentage of people with a high school education who are married has declined, while the percentage of college graduates who are married has remained steady. 

Same-sex marriage: Same-sex marriage became legal in the US in 2015 after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of it in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges. 

There were about 1.2 million same-sex couple households in the United States in 2021, according to recently released Census Bureau data. Roughly 710,000 of the same-sex couple households were married and about 500,000 were unmarried.

10 Churches oppose same sex marriages. 1 Church approves of same sec marriages.  4 Churches approve, but allow Pastors to reject it. 1 Church opposes, but allows Pastors to accept it.

Churches that oppose same sex marriages include:

American Baptist

Buddhism 

Catholic

Morman

Islamic

Orthodox Jews

Lutheran

Evangelical

Southern Baptist

Methodist 

Churches that approve same sex marriage, but allow churches to object:

Episcopal

Evangelical Lutheran

Reform Jews

United Church of Christ 

Churches that object, but allow Pastors to support: 

Presbyterian

Churches that support same sex marriage: 

Unitarian

Churches with no opinion

Hindu 

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2012/12/07/religious-groups-official-positions-on-same-sex-marriage/

Comments

When I met my wife Marlene in 1961, she was a Certified Dental Assistant and Dental Lab Technician. She was very happy working in Dentistry. In 1965, she was able to quit her job to stay at home with our first daughter. In 1983, we moved to Atlanta and she was able to enter Dental Hygiene School and became a Dental Hygienist in 1986.  She worked as a Dental Hygienist for 31 years and “loved it”. Her income allowed us to help our 6 kids to finish college. We retired in 2017 at age 74. We were blessed to fulfill all of our plans ahead of time and under budget. Marlene’s career allowed her to enjoy “accomplishment”, a necessary ingredient for a happy life.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

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