Predicting The Next "Marriage Crunch"
By: Shirley Simmons
Although experts agree that today’s women have a good chance of marrying after the age of 30 or even after the age of 40, there is nothing that says things can’t change. Just as no one predicted the Baby Boom in the 40s and 50s, no one predicted what was called the “Marriage Crunch” of the 80s. The truth is that marriage statistics as well as birth trends do change over time. While some experts can try to predict the trends, there is nothing that says they will be accurate.
The thing that worries experts the most about the possibility of another “Marriage Crunch” is that women are finding it more appealing to wait later to get married or to stay single. Women who are single can now enjoy everything a married woman can, such as children and a lover, without having to make that commitment. Not having a commitment is often the easier route to take because there is less pressure on the relationship and an independent female can keep her freedom. Men often find this just as appealing, which is one reason experts think there will be less marriages after certain ages.
The desires that go along with intimate relationships often change. In fact, where most people once wanted to find someone to grow old with, today people are perfectly fine growing old alone. Women and men alike are enjoying their single status more than ever and indulging in their own selves instead of taking time to indulge in others.
We define the marriage crunch, past, present and as it relates to Asian-Americans.