U.S. marriage rates have dropped roughly 54% since 1900, hitting historic lows. While rates peaked at 16.4 marriages per 1,000 people in 1946 (following World War II), they have steadily declined since the 1970s and remain near all-time lows. Today, more adults are delaying marriage or remaining single entirely.
1900–1929: Early Stability & The 1920 Peak Early Century: In 1900, the rate hovered around 9.3 marriages per 1,000 people.The 1920 Spike: Following World War I, the marriage rate spiked dramatically, hitting an all-time peak of 92.3 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women in 1920 (or roughly 12 marriages per 1,000 people overall).
1930s–1950s: The Great Depression & Post-WWII Boom Great Depression: Economic hardship caused marriage rates to plummet to a low of 7.9 per 1,000 people in 1932.WWII Peak: As the economy recovered and the war ended, marriages surged, hitting a record 16.4 marriages per 1,000 people in 1946.
1960s–1980s: The Golden Age of Marriage & The Start of Decline The Peak Share: 1960 marked the highest share of married American women in history, with about 65% in legal marriages. The 1970s Shift: After a brief increase peaking at 10.9 per 1,000 in 1972, a long, steady downward trend began as women entered the workforce in greater numbers and the average age for first marriage started climbing. 1990s–Present: Modern Lows & Stabilization Steady Descent: Rates fell from 9.8 per 1,000 people in the early 1990s to historically low levels under 7.0 per 1,000 by 2018.
https://www.google.com/search?q=us+marriage+rates+from+1900+to+present&sca_esv=fa453ea549eb9796&biw=1211&bih=540&sxsrf=ANbL-n5jYZwMRsSJEnbH0Gs68AnlyKfdIw%3A1779552693450&ei=tdERarKZG4fSp84P29S78A4&oq=us+marriage+rates+from+1900+&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiHHVzIG1hcnJpYWdlIHJhdGVzIGZyb20gMTkwMCAqAggAMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKsCMgUQIRifBTIFECEYnwUyBRAhGJ8FSN8wUKYEWKckcAF4AZABAJgBmwGgAecYqgEEOS4xObgBAcgBAPgBAZgCHaAC-RrCAgoQABhHGNYEGLADwgIXEC4Y3AYYuAYY2gYY2AIYyAMYsAPYAQHCAgoQABiABBiKBRhDwgILEAAYgAQYigUYkQLCAgoQLhiABBiKBRhDwgIIEAAYgAQYsQPCAg4QLhiABBixAxjHARjRA8ICFhAuGIAEGIoFGEMYsQMYgwEYxwEY0QPCAhEQLhiABBixAxiDARjHARjRA8ICEBAuGEMYgwEYsQMYgAQYigXCAgUQABiABMICCBAuGIAEGLEDwgINEAAYgAQYigUYQxixA8ICBBAAGAPCAgsQABiABBiKBRiGA8ICBRAAGO8FwgIIEAAYiQUYogTCAgYQABgWGB7CAggQABiABBiiBJgDAIgGAZAGC7oGBAgBGBmSBwQ3LjIyoAfprwGyBwQ2LjIyuAfxGsIHCTAuMy4xMi4xNMgHzwGACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
So men were opting out and the marriage rate dropped 50%, but for no reason you can point out yet that implicates women.
So you want to try to draw a baseline starting with the single highest year ever recorded. Rather disingenuous of you wouldn't you say? All the data shows marriage rates and the percentage of the population remained steadily high until the 1970s. I don't know how many times you need to read that but you seem determined to deny it.
No, actually, if the numbers show that the author is wrong and men did not start opting out until the 1970s, I can accept that. I mean, I do have people on here telling me that it did indeed start out in the 1950s because women started entering the workforce in greater numbers during and after WWII, but in the end it doesn't matter if it started in the 50s or 70s if everyone agrees that the root cause is the same: women working.