The changing face of marriage

[differenceblog]

In a Pew Research Report released yesterday, over two thousand Americans were asked about their views on marriage and parenting. Men and women's opinions ran in close accordance, according to the 91-page report: "the group differences in public opinion on these matters tend to be correlated with age, religion, race and ethnicity, as well as with

Comments

Right and wrong, or happy and unhappy?

[differenceblog]

It's not really asking about "is it okay" but rather about "can someone be happy" -- which I think is an important distinction. Here's what it said in page 32 of the Pew report. Note the last paragraph, which I just noticed may address my "political correctness" hypothesis in today's commentary.

Marriage and Personal Fulfillment

Despite the value that most Americans continue to place on marriage, and despite the fact that married adults are significantly more satisfied with their lives than are unmarried adults, the survey also finds that nearly eightin- ten Americans (79%) say that it is possible for a woman to lead a complete and happy life if she remains single. Some two-thirds (67%) say the same thing about a man. Both of these percentages are up compared with a 1985 survey.

There’s some evidence of gender solidarity in these responses. Women are bit more likely than men to say that women can be happy and fulfilled if they remain single. Meantime, men are slightly more likely than women to say that men can be happy and fulfilled if they remain single. Both genders agree, however, that it’s somewhat more difficult for unmarried men than for unmarried women to lead a happy and fulfilled life.

Hispanics are the one demographic group that has a very distinctive view on these questions. A majority of them (52%) say that a man cannot lead a complete and happy life if he remains single, and a substantial minority (38%) says the same thing about a woman. More so than whites or blacks, Hispanics tend to see marriage as essential to adult fulfillment.

At the other end of the spectrum are seculars. Nearly all of them (94%) say a woman can be happy and fulfilled if she remains single. However, just 75% of seculars say the same thing about men - meaning that seculars make a bigger distinction between men and woman on this question than does the rest of the adult population.



Source: Pew Research Center, Report 7/1/2007: "Generation Gap in Values, Behaviors: As Marriage and Parenthood Drift Apart, Public Is Concerned about Social Impact" page 32

Re: Right and wrong, or happy and unhappy?

[ukelele]

Huh! It's interesting to me that people were much more sanguine about women's ability here.

I actually believe it, but it seems to fly in the face of stereotype.

Re: Right and wrong, or happy and unhappy?

[astrogeek01]

I was more reacting to your reaction that "people are reluctant to admit the politically incorrect view that women might want to get married." My point is that most people, at least that I've encountered, are shocked when a woman does NOT want to get married.

[differenceblog]

yup. I think it's the issue with the "secular" group noted by Pew. That's most of everyone I talk to.