Christian Family Services Ministry

10-6-2016 – A Word to the Wise: This trend is causing considerable concern in the government, which is the topic of the following article: “The Retreat from Marriage and the Rise in Nonmarital Fertility,” by Daniel Lichter. 15 He states in his introduction: The new “individualism” in America, the quest for personal fulfillment, and the decline in moral or religious values have gone hand-in-hand with declining marriage rates. Marriage is often seen as restricting personal freedom and growth, as well as potentially handicapping work careers (e.g., tied migration). According to this argument, marriage and traditional family life are increasingly incompatible with the demands of a modern industrial economy. The overwhelming evidence is that declines in marriage have occurred for virtually every segment of American society—the young and the old; employed and unemployed; affluent and poor; highly educated and less educated; urban and rural residents; African American, White, and Hispanic. Current marriage trends are ubiquitous and have affected virtually all social, economic, and demographic groups.