World's Trends for Families

Trends are changing, the world's ways are threatening marriage and families more now than any other time.

• Premarital Sex - "9th grade, 34.3%; 10th grade, 42.8%; 11th grade, 51.4%; and 12th grade 63.1%".  (2007 Statistics) 

• Births to Unmarried Women - in 2006, over 1,600,000 babies were born to unmarried mothers. "614,000 White; 436,000 Black; 39,000 Asian; and 518,000 Hispanic"

• Living Alone -  the number of people who live alone is increasing every year. "In 2006 30.5 million Americans lived alone." Whether this is by choice, or by circumstance is undefined.

• Cohabitation - cohabitation is increasingly common amongst Americans. "In 2005, nearly 6 million unmarried couples, including 777,000 same-sex couples, were living together. This represents a dramatic increase over the 430,000 reported in 1960."

• Delayed Marriage -people are waiting longer and longer to get married, women especially. "Between 1950 and 1970, half of the females who were married did so by the time they were 20.5 years old and half of the males who did so by the time they were 22.5 years old. ... By 2005, the figures were about 26 for females and 27 for males" A large jump for only 50-30 years.

• Birth Rates - more woman are waiting to have children, this is causing fewer children to be born. "In 2005, the rate was 14.0 births for 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 years, a little more than half of what is was in 1954 and less than half of what is was in 1910." 

• Household Size - Family sizes are shrinking, "in 1790, the average household contained 5.8 people. By 1960, the average was 3.3 people and by 2006 the figure was 2.57." 

• Employed Mothers - More and more women are taking up work instead of focusing on their most important job, raising a healthy family. "Married women (who have a husband in the home) who are employed increased from 23.8 percent in 1950 to 60.2 percent in 2005."

• Divorce - divorce rates have gone up and down with every decade, but as of now seem to be about level with those of the early 70's. Divorce is a tragic event, one that causes my wounds that never fully heal. Be careful who you marry, for once you do, you can not take it back without a punishment.

These numbers have steadily raised and will continue to rise, unless we as parents of the future generation can do something about it.  Be an example for your current and/or future family, stop the trends of the world starting with your family and keep the family and its values tight.
(all quotes found on pages 10-13 in Marriage & Family by Robert H. Lauer and Jeanette C. Lauer)