We have been discussing recent US Census data that indicates that the marriage rate is declining and the cohabitation rate is increasing. In another article lately we have read that the college educated couple is more likely to marry than those without a college degree. Now that is something to think about……. not sure why this is true. The other interesting statistic is about the age that couples are marrying. Couples are older today when they marry. The average age of both those with and without college degrees when they first marry is 28.
In our book, My Heart Got Married and I Didn’t Know It, we introduce the concept of heart marriage and naturally we wonder about the implications of these new statistics on this relationship phenomenon. How may these new trends affect the rate at which couples become intimately bound together as if they are married, when they haven’t made that commitment? You may remember this is the definition of heart marriage and heart marriage is most likely to happen when couples are together for a long time, are monogamous, sexually intimate, and often cohabit. If couples are waiting longer to marry, it just makes sense that heart marriage may begin to occur at higher rates.
What does all of this mean for long-term happiness? We would love to hear from you.
Barbara & Lora
