Get a grip, folks. This is old leftist boiler plate rubbish seeking to give the illusion that marriage is dead or dying. Of course, the implicit message is that fruitism or serial bestiality or quadro-sexualism are the fastest growing favorites in the 'New' America.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The real headline should state that marriage remains the overwhelming favorite condition for American households. All other arrangements sink to minor status in relation to the biggest catagory of marriage. These stats usually do not include those who have been married and have:
A) had their spouse die.
B) been divorced.
C) are separated.
D) have bi-coastal marriages or other careers that require separate living arrangements.
Furthermore, these stats ignore the single households where the occupant is:
A) looking forward to marriage.
b) living together with a potential mate and with the intent (cough) of getting married.
C) between marriages for serial monogamists.
When these groups are factored into the mix, America is overwhelmingly friendly to marriage and the vast, vast majority of people are participants.
Sorry, leftist fruitcakes. You're not invited to America's favorite relationship.
Very true.
There are a lot of breakups, though, and I think it's all attributable to the incredible array of choices and dillemas offered by modern life. One party in the marriage will be offered "the big job" at some location the other party doesn't want to move to; one party will return to school and find his or her mindset no longer meshing with the other; one party will go on a "health kick" and get fit while the other remains slovenly; one party will become radically liberal while the other remains conservative (or vice-versa); one party will fall into a group of friends the other abhors; one party will give up drink or drugs while the other continues to imbibe.
The list just goes on and on. We all change so much these days, even in a span of months, that it's difficult to keep it all together. And it's not helped by the number of people who marry for "convenience" or simply to have children, or for money and "comfort," rather than waiting for true love -- which does exist, no matter what the gloom-and-doomers say.
In this, as in a lot of things, it was better in the "good old days."