Upon reading the article "UnMarried America" written by Michelle Conlin which appeared in "Business Week" magazine for the week of October 20, 2003, I have realized just how much society has changed in my lifetime. Marriage is no longer viewed with as much importance as it was in the past. It is now viewed as normal to be divorced, single parent, or for same sex couples to raise children on there own. .
According to Michelle Conlin "The U.S. Census Bureau's newest numbers show that married-couple households-the dominant cohort since the country's founding- have slipped from nearly 80% in the 1950's to just 50.7% today. That means that the US's 86 million single adults could soon define the new majority" (106).
I can't help but wonder what effect this will have on the future of the United States? In the past if a home had a child living there, more often that not the child's parents were married. Today this is rare. In the past a single mother was viewed as an "Aberration" (106). In today's society, it is accepted as normal. This has made a huge impact on the Nation's economy. Michelle Conlin reported that "Already, unmarried adults make up 42% of the workforce, 40% of home buyers, and 35% of voters" (106). .
There seems to be an infatuation with marriage in the United States. Many adults are seeking marriage but so many seem to wait until later in life, between the debates of same sex marriages to President Bush's marriage-promotion campaign to TV's views on marriage our culture has become "Marriage-crazed" (Conlin, 108). .
There seems to be a growing trend of single families, it is almost as if marriage has become outdated. Today married families only make up 25% of every residence, and this is expected to drop to 20% by the year 2010, says the Census Bureau. By this time nearly 30% of home will be lead by a single adult. .
According to Michelle Conlin this "unprecedented demographic shift holds vast implications for everything from Corporate America to the culture wars; from government institutions to the legal system"(108).
Introduction Many problems exist in the United States. ... He advocated for equal treatment for every American in the United States. ... Economic inequality affects the United States significantly. ... Japan and the United States are two highly industrialized and modernized countries. ... The level of income in the family deteriorated, especially in single parent families. ...
RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES I. ... Race and Ethnic Relations in the United States Today The United States has divided its population into five racial/ethnic groups, namely: European-Americans or Caucasian (74%); African-Americans (12%); Latinos (10%); Asian-Americans (3%); and Native-Americans (1%). ... Hate Crimes One of the most abhorrent and damaging forms of racial and ethnic discrimination in the United States is "hate crime." ... Conclusion In conclusion, it's obvious race and ethnic relations are most volatile topics facing the United States t...
Poverty in the United States Imagine that one day you woke up and lost everything you ever had. ... Regional poverty exists in the United States: Statistics that have both economic and demographic factors help to explain regional differences in poverty rates. ... Demographic factors such as the family being headed by a single parent or by a member of a minority are associated with an increased probability of being poor (Regional Difference ). ... According to Anderson and Koblinsky (1): For years the most popular stereotype of the homeless in the United States was the b...
On the other hand, in developed countries such as the United States where immigration laws are strictly enforced. ... In order to get a job in the United States, one has to have a social security number for tax purpose. After the person starts working, tax is removed from every single pay check the person receives. ... There has been made several laws regarding immigrants in the United States. ... It is undeniable that there are a number of illegal immigrants in the United States. ...
The present position of Mexican Americans as a people, their family life, and effects of their position on their family life can best be understood through an understanding of their history as Mexicans and as North Americans. ... The Anglo Americans settlers, who were mostly United States citizens, resisted these conditions. ... The forever cry "Remember the Alamo" prompted aid from the United States to assist the Texans, most of whom were United States citizens (Acura 1991). ... Between 1910 and 1930, the Mexican population in the United States continued to grow rapidly. ... 1929) in Mexi...
This trend of declining marriage rates isn't limited to the United States, but is seemingly creating a worldwide pattern of its own. ... Nowadays people tend to stay single longer, especially women, for reasons like pursuing an academic career. ... Single men are less likely to be employed, more likely to do drugs, prone to crime and have lower incomes. ... Children born out of wedlock increased from 5% to 26% in white families, and from 35% to 69% in black families. ... Research also proved that the negative effects of divorce on children only show when they become adults, as the avari...
750,000 girls in the United States will get pregnant before the age of 20. ... Results of this study revealed that teenagers in the United States absorb sex education messages from television programs, and visually examining and discussing television programs with an adult reinforces the sex education messages (Alters). ... It's important to not just understand the effects teen pregnancy has on a mother, but the effect it has on society. ... Despite the decline in teen pregnancy the rates in the United States are still too high. ... Seventy-five pregnancies occur ever year, per 1,000 wo...
Some of these aspects are the ability to recognize and confront danger, group bonding in times of stress, nations aimed at a single goal, and dedication and the ability to overcome survival instinct and to die for others. ... The combat forces due to psychiatric collapse...and at one point in World War II, psychiatric casualties were being discharged from the United States Army faster than new recruits were being drafted in," (Psychological 3). ... the understanding and identification with war, the presence or loss of immediate family, the influence of the community surrounding...
TEN MAJOR EVENTS THAT SHAPED THE UNITED STATES Over time instances occurred throughout history that affected the United States, for the good and bad. ... The depression had devastating effects on the country. ... The vicious murder of President Kennedy had various effects on America and on the world. ... A single individual seemed to have murdered an entire era (Holiday). ... Cold War: The cold war is the post-1945 struggle between the United States and its allies and the group of nations led by the Soviet Union. ...