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The Effects of Single Families in the United States.

 

             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             There seems to be a growing trend of single families, it is almost as if marriage has become outdated.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).


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