The vast majority
of men (62 percent) in 1998 were married, compared to 9 percent being divorced
and 27 percent never being married. Only 3 percent of men were widowers.
(5)
Most women (58
percent) in 1998 were married, compared to 21 percent never being married.
The remaining women were equally split by 11 percent being widowed and
another 11 percent being divorced. (5)
In 1998, 59.3
million women were married and 11.1 million women were divorced, compared
to 58.6 million men were married and 8.3 million men were divorced. (5)
About
an equal number of women in 1998 were widowed and divorced. About 11.1
million women were divorced, while another 11 million women were widowed.
(5)
About
2.6 million men were widowers in 1998, compared to 8.3 million men being
divorced. (5)
About 91 percent
of white women born in the 1950s are estimated to marry at some time in
their lives, compared with only 75 percent of black women born in the 1950s.
Some researchers believe the lower proportion of time spent in marriage
among black Americans is due to high rate joblessness, incarceration and
mortality. (3)
Almost 28 percent
of women ages 15 to 44 years old have never been married or cohabited with
men. (3)
Roughly 50 percent
of women ages 15 to 44 are married and 7 percent are cohabiting with men.
One-third of all women are not cohabitating and have never married. The
remaining 10 percent are not cohabiting, but were previously married. (3)
Marriage:
The rate for
marriage per 1,000 people in 1997 was 7.2, which equaled to 2,384,000 marriages.
(1)
From 1950 to
1995 the marriage rate per 1,000 people decreased from 11.1 to 7.6. (4)
From 1990 to
1995 the marriage rate per 1,000 people dropped from 9.8 to 7.6, compared
to a drop from 10.6 in 1980 to 9.8 in 1990. (4)
Just within 1994
and 1995, the marriage rate per 1,000 people dropped from 9.1 to 7.6. (4)
Most marriages
(54.1 percent) in 1988 were the first marriage of the bride and groom,
compared to 23.4 percent being remarriage of the bride and groom. (4)
11.4 percent
of marriages in 1988 were a remarriage of the bride and the first marriage
of the groom, compared to 11.1 percent being the first marriage of the
bride and remarriage of the groom. (4)
The top 5 states
for the number of marriages in 1997 were California (237,700); Texas (183,000);
New York (172,800); Florida (161,000); and Nevada (134,900). (4)
Marriage and gender:
In 1990, the
marriage of men 15 years and older per 1,000 men was higher than women
of the same age with men having a rate of 26 for being married and women
having a marriage rate of 24.1. (4)
The marriage
rate for men decreased from 31.1 per 1,000 men in 1970 to 26 per 1,000
men in 1990, compared to women's marriage rate of 28.4 in 1970 and 24.1
in 1990. (4)
The percent of
women married decreased from 65.8 percent in 1950 to 54.9 percent in 1998.
(6)
The percent of
men married decreased from 67.5 percent in 1950 to 58 percent in 1998.
(6)
The rate of single
women marrying decreased from 93.4 per 1,000 women in 1970 to 57.7 per
1,000 women in 1990. (4)
The rate of single
men marrying decreased from 80.4 per 1,000 men in 1970 to 47 per 1,000
men in 1990. (4)
Marriage, gender and age:
About 11 percent
of women marrying in 1990 were younger than 20 years old, compared to 6.1
percent being 45 to 64 years old and 1 percent being 65 years old and older.
(4)
About three in
10 women marrying in 1990 were 30 to 34 years old, compared to one in four
being 25 to 29 years old. (4)
Women 30 to 34
years old and 35 to 44 years old had about equal rates of marriage in 1990
with 14.2 percent of women marrying being 30 to 34 years old and 13.9 percent
of women marrying being 35 to 44 years old. (4)
About 41 percent
of women marrying in 1990 married for the first time were 20 to 24 years
old, compared to 8 percent of the 20 to 24 years old brides remarrying.
(4)
27.2 percent
of first marriages by women in 1990 were women 25 to 29 years old, compared
to 16 percent in 1980. (4)
About one in
10 first marriages by women in 1990 were 30 to 34 years old, compared to
only 4 percent in 1980. (4)
The percent of
first marriages being women younger than 20 years old decreased from 30.4
in 1980 to 16.6 percent in 1990. (4)
Almost one in
20 (4.5 percent) of first marriages by women in 1990 were 35 to 44 years
old. (4)
Only 0.1 percent
of first marriages in 1990 involved women 65 years old and older, compared
to 0.7 of first marriages involving women 45 to 64 years old. (4)
About 52 percent
of marrying men in 1990 were between the ages 20 to 29, compared to another
one-third of the men being 30 to 44 years old. (4)
About 9 percent
of men marrying in 1990 were 45 to 64 years old, compared to about 4 percent
being younger than 20 years old and about 2 percent being 65 years old
and older. (4)
About 70 percent
of men marrying for the first time in 1990 were 20 to 29 years old, compared
to about 22 percent men being 30 to 44 years old. (4)
Only about 7
percent of men marrying in 1990 for the first time were younger than 20
years old. (4)
The percent of
men marrying in 1990 for the first time remained the same as in 1980 for
men 45 to 64 years old (1.1) and men 65 years old and older (0.1). (4)
Divorce:
The rate for
divorce per 1,000 people in 1997 was 4.5, which equaled to 1,163,000 divorces.
(1)
Between 1940
and 1990, the highest rate per 1,000 people for divorce occurred in 1979
and 1981 with the rates being 5.3 per 1,000 people. (2)
The rate of divorce
was higher than normal between 1945 and 1947 (after World War II) when
rates increased from 2.9 in 1944 to 4.3 in 1946. The divorce rate decreased
to 3.4 in 1947 and the following year dropped to 2.8.(2)
The divorce rate
more than doubled between 1940 and 1990 from 2.0 to 4.7.(2)
The divorce rate
began climbing in 1967 from 2.6 to a peak of 5.3 in 1979. (2)
The divorce rate
remained around 5.0 and 5.3 during 1976 and 1985. (2)
From 1985 to
1990 the divorce rate decreased from 5.0 to 4.7. (2)
One-fifth of
first marriages end within 5 years and one-third end with 10 years. (3)
43 percent of
first marriages end in separation or divorce within 15 years. (6)
Divorce and gender:
Duration of a
marriage is linked to the woman's age at her first marriage; the older
a woman is at the first marriage, the longer that marriage is likely to
last. For example, 59 percent of marriages of brides under 18 end in separation
or divorce within 15 years, compared with 36 percent of those married at
age 20 or older. (6)
The percent of
women who are divorced increased from 2.4 percent in 1950 to 10.3 percent
in 1998. (6)
The percent of
men divorced increased from 2 percent in 1950 to 8.2 percent in 1998. (6)
The divorce rate
for married women 15 years old and older increased from 8.8 per 1,000 women
in 1940 to 20.9 per 1,000 women in 1990. (2)
After 10 years,
32 percent of first marriages of white non-Hispanic women have dissolved
and 34 percent of first marriages of Hispanic women have dissolved. In
contrast, 47 percent of marriages among black non-Hispanic women have dissolved
after 10 years. First marriages of Asian non-Hispanic women dissolve at
a considerably slower rate: after 10 years, only 20 percent have been disrupted.
(3)
First marriages
of teenagers disrupt faster than the first marriages of women who were
20 years old and older at the time of marriage. (3)
Remarriage, gender and age:
The most remarriages
(31.3 percent) of women in 1990 were 35 to 44 years old, compared to about
20 percent being 25 to 29 years old, about 22 percent being 30 to 34 years
old, and 31 percent being 35 to 44 years old. (4)
Only 16 percent
of women remarrying in 1990 were 45 to 64 years old, compared to 8 percent
being 20 to 24 years old. (4)
Only 2.7 percent
of remarriages in 1990 were women 65 years old and older, compared to 0.6
percent being younger than 20 years old. (4)
About one-third
of remarrying men in 1990 were 35 to 44 years old, compared to about 20
percent being 30 to 34 years old. (4)
Another 24 percent
of remarrying men in 1990 were 45 to 64 years old, compared to about 14
percent being 25 to 29 years old. (4)
Men 65 years
old and older were more likely in 1990 to remarry than men 20 to 24 years
old with 5.1 percent versus 3.6 percent. (4)
The rate of divorced
women remarrying decreased from 123.3 per 1,000 women in 1970 to 76.2 per
1,000 women in 1990. (4)
The rate of divorced
men remarrying decreased from 204.5 per 1,000 men in 1970 to 76.2 per 1,000
men in 1990. (4)
75 percent of
divorced women remarry within 10 years. (3)
After 10 years
of divorce, 81 percent of women who were under 25 years old at the time
of the divorce have remarried, compared with 68 percent of women 25 years
old and older at the time of the divorce. (3)
Younger women
who divorce are more likely to remarry; 81 percent of those divorced before
age 25 remarry within 10 years, compared with 68 percent of those divorced
at age 25 or older. (6)
Source:
1- National Vital Statistics Reports from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Volume 47, Number 21, July 6, 1999.
2.- National Vital Statistics Reports from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Volume 43, No. 9, March 22, 1995.
3- First Marriage Dissolution, Divorce, and Remarriage: United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Advanced Data, Number 323, May 31, 2001.
4- U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics of the United States, annual; and National Vital Statistics Reports (NVSR) (formerly Monthly Vital Statistics Report); and unpublished data.
5- U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P20-51.
6- U.S. Census Bureau , 1900-1950, U.S. Census of Population: 1950, Vol. II, Part 1; 1960, Census of Population: 1960, Vol. 1; 1970, U.S. Census Population: 1970, Vol. 1, Part 1; 1980, Census of Population: 1980, Vol. 1. Part 1; 1990, U.S. Census Population: 1990, General Population Characteristics, (CP-1-1); and Current Population Reports, Series P20-514, "Martial Status and Living Arrangements: March 1998 (Update)", and earlier reports.
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