Skip to main content
Article
A Modus Vivendi? Sex, Marriage & the Church
Commonweal
  • William L. Portier, University of Dayton
  • Nancy Dallavalle, Fairfield University
  • Christopher C. Roberts
  • Tina Beattie, Roehampton University
  • R. R. Reno
  • Patricia Hampl
  • Luke Timothy Johnson, Emory University
  • Leslie Woodcock Tentler, Catholic University of America
  • Paul Baumann
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-13-2012
Abstract

During the 1960s, nearly 80 percent of adult Americans were married. A recent analysis of U.S. census data reported that only 52 percent of adult Americans were married in 2009. That is the lowest percentage reported in the 100 years the Census Bureau has collected such information. The reasons for this dramatic cultural shift are well known: high rates of divorce; changing attitudes toward premarital sex; social acceptability of cohabitation; the weakening of the stigma surrounding out-of-wedlock births and single parenting; the postponement of marriage and children for academic or professional reasons.

Among those with only a high-school education or less, the data suggest that the decision to marry has been made more difficult by deteriorating economic conditions.

Inclusive pages
12-19
ISBN/ISSN
0010-3330
Document Version
Published Version
Comments

Article is made available for download from the repository with the permission of the publisher.

Permission documentation is on file.

Publisher
Commonweal Foundation
Place of Publication
New York, NY
Citation Information
William L. Portier, Nancy Dallavalle, Christopher C. Roberts, Tina Beattie, et al.. "A Modus Vivendi? Sex, Marriage & the Church" Commonweal Vol. 139 Iss. 1 (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/william_portier/8/