Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
A recent issue of Time magazine had a thought-provoking question on its cover: "Who Needs Marriage." That the question is being asked is reflective of dramatic shifts in societal attitudes toward mankind's most basic institution.
Fifty years ago 72-percent of Americans over the age of 18 were married. As of 2008, the figure was 52-percent. Furthermore, nearly 40-percent of respondents to a national survey undertaken by Pew Research Center said marriage is becoming obsolete. In fact, the number of couples living together as unmarried partners has nearly doubled since 1990.
KSL finds this trend extremely troubling.
It is troubling that more than 40-percent of babies are born to unmarried moms.
It is troubling that a marriage gap has opened between the rich and the poor, and that those without higher education are less likely to marry, even though a high percentage of them cohabit and have children.
It is troubling, as the Pew survey found, that the public, generally, is ambivalent toward the changing marital norms and that new family forms are viewed in a positive light.
KSL worries about the consequences of these trends. We firmly believe that the preservation of traditional marriage is essential to society's survival. That, in answer to Time magazine, is why marriage is needed.
