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Study: 40 Percent Of Americans Say Marriage Is Obsolete

According to a new study released by Pew Research Center and published by TIME Magazine, four out of ten Americans now believe that marriage is obsolete. This number is significantly higher than in past years, and certainly reflects the changing demographics regarding marriage and family in the United States today. Thirty years ago, 28 percent of Americans believed that marriage was becoming obsolete.

Also according to the study, 30 percent of children under the age of 18 live with a parent who is not married, with half of the children living with a parent who is divorced and half living with a parent who has never been married.  Six percent of children live in two-parent homes in which the couple has never married.

The Pew study polled almost 2,700 Americans over the phone during the month of October.

The same survey also found that the definition of family is changing to be more inclusive and less traditional. The majority of responders said that an unmarried couple with children is a family, while a small majority also agreed that a same-sex couple with children was a family.

The question remains, why do an increasing number of people believe that marriage is obsolete? Experts believe that the younger generation has more lax and progressive views about relationships, family structure, and love. In addition, they say, the economy has a lot to do with couples choosing to live together but not marry. All in all, a little less than half of those polled who were currently unmarried wanted to get married in the future.

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