"Millenials" Staying Away From The Altar

Jillian Bandes | April 29, 2010 3:25 PM

Twentysomethings are just not getting married. From Pew:

Members of the Millennial generation (young adults born after 1980) are much less likely to be married than were members of preceding generations at the same age. Just one-in-five Millennials is currently married (21%) and just one-in-eight (12%) is married with children at home, half the proportions (42% and 26%, respectively) of Boomers at the same age.

This is far from the first time this phenomenon has been pointed out, but juxtiposing the figures with Boomer statistics makes for a particularly interesting case study. I'd blame the typical variety of factors for the phenomenon: cultural norms, lack of religion, and economics. I wonder, though, if this statistic will soon reach an apex the same way the pro-life movement reached an apex -- a topic I posted on earlier today. Simply put, abortion advocates don't have children, so their views are less likely to be passed on to the next generation. Thus, the pro-life movement is increasing in size and youthfulness.

Similarly, if fewer and fewer young people believe in marriage, they are likely to produce fewer and fewer children. That means the people who are getting married will produce more children, who will grow up in an environment that places value on the institution. This could lead to a reversal in the marriage decline among young people.