Attitude toward marriage and single life

Abstract
Attitudes about primary of mariage as a way of life have changed markedly over the
past two decades. The legitimation of singleness as a life style is increasingly recogniyed
by young people and their parents most of the american no longer regard getting married
as necesarly better that remaing single and do not disapprove of those who eschew
marriage. Althought most young people interviwed in the 1980 Study of American
Familyes say that they would be bothred at leas a little by failure to marry,relatively few
say they would be greatly bothread by that outcome . It is somewhat surprinsing that the
mother's of there young people also report fairly evenhanded attitudes granding mariage
as compared to single life have declined advantagest of mariage as compared to single
life have declined advantagest of mariage as compared to single life have declined in that
proportion since 1960. What is more, despite the hight rate of divorced, most young
people, especially young women, expected to marry-an expectation reflected in the
increasing age at witchi American are actualy marriag. There are also seems to bee a
witdeaspread desire not to be mariage interfare with education and not obtaine some
work experience till mariage. Mariage contenues to more important to young women that
young man despite recent trends toward more egalitarian sex roles. There is some
evidence that experience with divorces increasing negative attitudes obteind mariage and
favorable ones abute singleness a way of life.
I. Types about a succesful relationship
Relation ship quality can directly influence twentysomething decision amoung
relation ship and sex, and thus many influence reproductive healtoutcome . The ADD
HEALT survey indentificace four elements that may serve as barometers of the retation
ship quality of couples betwen the age of 20-24, love, fidelity, lifelong commitment ,and
having enought money.

Relation ship roted the importance of these element for a

succesful relationship using a 1-10 sclae in wich 1-indicate not importanting and 10

indicating very important.

Women were more likely than were men to report living in any relationship.Overall
similar proportion of men and women were married, compared with 16 prencet of man.
About three-quatres of young adults in each racial ethnic group reported being in some
type of romantic relationship. However fewer black and Asian young adults were
married than were their white and Hispanic counterparts. The rates of choabiton were
farlysttabiles across groups. The proportion of respondents who reported being in anon
residential relation ship, ranged from 31 percent among Hispanic to 42 percent among
blacks, but the proportion corespondent responding not beeing in a relationship was
about one-quatreracrossall groups.
The attitudes of young adult about how important love and money are to a succesful
relationship differ by their race and ethnicity.
Assian young adults were less likely to regard love as a very important element of a
succesful life relationship that where they white, black and hispanic conterparts.
More than 45 percent of black respondents viwed money as avery importnat element
of a succesful relationship whereas this opinion was held by only 17 percent of white
adults respondents, 31 of the hispanic and 25 percent of asian respondents.
How young adults rote the importance of love,fidelity, lifelong commitment, and
having enought money as a very important element for a life relationship also differ by
their current relationstatus.
Young adults who were married were more likely to view love, fidelity and life long
commitment as a very important element of a relationship. In term of more than 90
percent of married respondents said that they regarded love and fydelity as an important
element of a succesful relationship. In terms of life long commitment 91 percent of
maried respondents considered it important , compared with only about theree-quater of
those in choabition or non sesiderational romantic relationship, or those were not in any
current relationship.
Young adults who were cohabiting were somewhat more likely to feel that having

enought money was a very important element of a succesful relation ship, compared with
young adults in all other relation ship tipes.
II.Attitudes about mariage.
Allthought only one of five young adults was married at the time of the survey and
many reported positive atitudes about choabition most still had hight experience that they
will marry in the future.
The low rate of marriage among young adults can bee explained partialy by the trends
dealyng mariage Whereas the median age at firs mariage in1960 was 20 for women by
2006, the median age had resen to 26 ,Men marry later than do women , iwth a median
first mariage age of 23 in 1960 and 28 in 2006.
Our findings sugest that the majoryti of young adults hope to mary someday.
Apparently,how ever most are prepared to pstpone mariage becauseonly a small
percentage of respondents indicated that they wnated to bee maried at the time that they
ansewed the survey questiones.
Most unmaried 20 to 24 yers old not wnat to be maried young adults reported that he
or she would like to be maried, wheres 17 percent where neutral about where or not they
would like to be married.
More women than men agreed that they curently would like to bee married. This
gender diference reflects social norms about earlier ages at first marriage for women
,compared with men
Nearly 30 percent of unmaried black and white young adults reported that wnated to
be married at he time of the survey ,whereas only one in five Assian young adults who
agreed that they would curently tike to be married was in the middle of this age 25 per
cent .
However the mariage of unmaried young people would like to be marred someday,
compared with 5 percent who consider it unimportnat and 12 percent who fell it was only
somehat important.

Men and women had the similar asiration for mariage in the future .However,women
were somewhat more likely to report that mariage was verry important 53 percent that
where man 47 per cent be married now. Among those not curently in a romatic
relationship, 17 percent reported that they wanted to bee maried.
Despite diference in their desire to bee marryed now slinghtly man that 80 percent of
unmaried young adults reported that they felt it was important to bee maried someday and
this trend it was important to bee maried someday and this trend it was co siste t across
all tipes of relationship reported that it was very to maryage someday comared with 54
percent of those in a nonresidential romantic relationship.