As long-term financial security becomes a pipe dream for more Americans, a growing share is giving up on marriage.

One in five U.S. adults aged 25 or older had never been married in 2012, a record high, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center that analyzed Census data. In 1960, the number was one in ten.

According to an accompanying survey Pew conducted this May and June, only 53% of all never-married adults said they would like to marry eventually, down from 61% in 2010. Around 32% said they were not sure, up from 27% in 2010.

The figures in the Census data are more striking for African-Americans. Some 36% of blacks aged 25 and up had not been married in 2012, compared to 25% in 1990 and 9% in 1960. For whites, the share of never-married was 16% in 2012, up from 11% in 1990 and 8% in 1960.

Americans are putting off tying the knot in greater numbers for a variety of reasons.

The s-xual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s along with rising numbers of women attending college and entering the workforce have helped increase the age when Americans get married and soften public attitudes on marriage.

The decline of religious institutions and the growing importance of higher education in an increasingly services-driven economy probably play a role, too.

But a major factor is simply the economy, which has grown slowly–and increasingly unequal–in recent decades, Pew notes in analyzing the survey of 2,000 American adults.

Incomes haven’t risen for most Americans since the 1980s, after adjusting for inflation, even though housing and child-rearing costs have. Young men have been hit particularly hard: For men 25 to 34, median hourly wages have declined 20% since 1980 in real terms.

Despite their growing economic difficulties, many Americans consider financial security (or at least a partner with a job) a prerequisite for marriage.

In its spring survey, Pew found nearly 80% of never-married women said finding someone with a steady job was very important to them in choosing a spouse or partner. Among men and women who had never married but wanted to, nearly a third said they were not financially prepared for marriage.

The problem, Pew explains, is the economic malaise of the last few decades—hidden for a time by a home-price boom—has shrunk the pool of available employed men. At the same time, women’s educational attainment and labor-force participation has generally risen.

Put simply, for today’s never-married women, a “good” man is harder to find.

Among never-married adults aged 25 to 34, the number of employed, available men per 100 women has dropped to 91 in 2012, from 139 in 1960. That means if all of 2012’s never-married young women wanted to find a young, employed man who also hadn’t been married, about 9% of them would automatically fail—due to a man shortage. (Of course, these women could find and marry divorced men, or older men.)

Once again, it’s worse for blacks. Among never-married black adults aged 25 to 34, there were 87 employed men for every 100 women back in 1960. In 2012? Just 51.

The upshot?

For many Americans, staying single, cohabiting or raising children out of marriage increasingly looks like the best available option.

Nearly 25% of young adults 25 to 34 who have never been married were cohabiting last year, up from under 22% in 2007, Pew says. Roughly 7% of adults 30 to 44 were cohabiting in 2010, too, according to a different analysis, up from 3% in 1995.

Source: wallstreetjournal.com / Article by Neil Shah

interesting facts

among blacks..

51 men per 100 women in the 25 -34 age range..

2 women fighting for 1 man

Its closer but theres still a long way to 7 women fighting over 1 man as per the bible

Put simply, for today’s never-married women, a “good” man is harder to find.

Among never-married adults aged 25 to 34, the number of employed, available men per 100 women has dropped to 91 in 2012, from 139 in 1960. That means if all of 2012’s never-married young women wanted to find a young, employed man who also hadn’t been married, about 9% of them would automatically fail—due to a man shortage. (Of course, these women could find and marry divorced men, or older men.)

Once again, it’s worse for blacks. Among never-married black adults aged 25 to 34, there were 87 employed men for every 100 women back in 1960. In 2012? Just 51.

Not a new thing. There are 35-40 year old in Nigeria who aren't married because they can't afford to yet

This marriage talk again??

Sighs..........

As far as I'm concern the only thing hindering some people that have attend marriage age frm marrying is MONEY...

Give a man of 28 and a lady of 25 a gd job and wait and if they don't tie the knot under 6months

Guys keep ranting no good women...it a lie

All they want is a woman that will not stress them financially

Once they meet a nice lady and she's not working they look for an excuse to dump her

Aitee1:
Give a man of 28 and a lady of 25 a gd job and wait and if they don't tie the knot under 6months
Guys keep ranting no good women...it a lie
All they want is a woman that will not stress them financially
Once they meet a nice lady and she's not working they look for an excuse to dump her

no man really wants a liability and its true that good women are hard and rare to come by, it is no rant. Most of the women you see today have what I call "longthroat" they don't know how to manage, they want to buy everything flashy, from cars to bags to shoes, wigs everything, when you talk, they say you should look at their friend. They live above their earnings and they live above the man's income.. hence they resolve to follow old papas with cash to augment their expenses and when a man see's that, he would never settle with such woman

bennyrazz: no man really wants a liability and its true that good women are hard and rare to come by, it is no rant. Most of the women you see today have what I call "longthroat" they don't know how to manage, they want to buy everything flashy, from cars to bags to shoes, wigs everything, when you talk, they say you should look at their friend. They live above their earnings and they live above the man's income.. hence they resolve to follow old papas with cash to augment their expenses and when a man see's that, he would never settle with such woman

u hv a point tho...bt i still put the blame on u guys, u men prefer the flashy women those that look like celebrities forgetting dat dos ones will always want to remain flashy, so many down to earth women ain't flashy bt u guys hadly notice dem

Aitee1:

u hv a point tho...bt i still put the blame on u guys, u men prefer the flashy women those that look like celebrities forgetting dat dos ones will always want to remain flashy, so many down to earth women ain't flashy bt u guys hadly notice dem

down to earth women that don't use deodorants? down to earth women that don't iron their clothes or even wear perfumes and smell like pigs? down to earth women that when they open their mouth to speak it stinks? down to earth women that don't know how to dress and combine colors? down to earth women that can't do simple make up? in as much as most men believe in inner beauty of a woman, the external beauty must also be preserved and taking care of because that is what will make men notice you at first

bennyrazz: down to earth women that don't use deodorants? down to earth women that don't iron their clothes or even wear perfumes and smell like pigs? down to earth women that when they open their mouth to speak it stinks? down to earth women that don't know how to dress and combine colors? down to earth women that can't do simple make up? in as much as most men believe in inner beauty of a woman, the external beauty must also be preserved and taking care of because that is what will make men notice you at first

haahahahahaha...

I must confess u have not been lucky in ur meet ups

there are so many neat and clean cool women

ur description is funny i swear

Aitee1:

haahahahahaha...

I must confess u have not been lucky in ur meet ups

there are so many neat and clean cool women

ur description is funny i swear

yes my description is very funny cuz that's what men go through and that's why most men chase flashy women cuz they get everything right and the only thing some men do is bring them back to genuine repentance

bennyrazz: yes my description is very funny cuz that's what men go through and that's why most men chase flashy women cuz they get everything right and the only thing some men do is bring them back to genuine repentance

u begining to sound bitter already we ain't fighting

well it may interest u to know hv also met men that their personal hygiene is zero...all i do in such case is to help them improve instead of push them away cos just like women most flashy men still have an ugly side within them

the best is to settle with who so ever makes u happy cos to me happiness is paramount in this life

if it's jus hygiene pblem bt has an accomodating life then that can be improved upon.

Aitee1:

u begining to sound bitter already we ain't fighting

I'm not bitter and I'm not fighting you, I'm just being blunt