VIDEO
HIGHLIGHT
Log InSign up
The Next America: Modern Family
SummaryTranscriptChat

The Next America: Modern Family

The Changing Landscape of Marriage and Family

Decline in Marriage Rates

  • In the past, weddings were seen as a rite of passage for Baby Boomers, with 60% of Americans aged 18-29 getting married in 1960. Today, marriage rates have significantly declined.
  • Currently, only 51% of adults over 18 are married, down from 72% half a century ago. The median age at first marriage has increased by seven years for women and six years for men since 1960.
  • A notable shift is that many young people are delaying marriage or choosing not to marry at all; however, they continue to have children.

Changes in Childbirth Trends

  • There has been a significant rise in births outside of marriage. In 2010, approximately 40% of babies were born to unmarried mothers compared to just 5% in 1960.
  • The traditional nuclear family model (married mother and father raising their own children) is now rare; fewer than one in four households fit this description. Instead, diverse family structures such as cohabitation and remarriage are becoming more common.
Video description

The classic nuclear family, the kind imprinted on the American imagination by TV shows like Leave it to Beaver, has been left behind. In 1960, 37% of households included a married couple raising their own children. More than a half-century later, just 16% of households look like that. Read more from the Pew Research Center's Fact Tank: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/ The Next America: http://www.pewresearch.org/nextamerica