Dina Hannaford, an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Houston (UH, USA), shared insights from her extensive research on this pressing topic. For several decades, her team has documented and analyzed the stories of women around the globe.
The researchers focused on various groups of women, including those who have never been married, those who are divorced or widowed, and married women who are actively working to improve their marriages.
Is the Institution of Marriage Gradually Dying?
“Japanese women are rejecting marriage,” “Nearly half of Canadians believe marriage is unnecessary,” “Chileans are marrying less and later”… Headlines like these make it easy to wonder whether marriage is slowly losing its hold.
The reality is that growing numbers of women no longer feel they must marry out of necessity. Many find it easier and more convenient to remain single. And those who do marry are doing so much later than was common half a century ago.
In the United States, for example, the average age for a first marriage rose from 20.1 years for women and 22.5 years for men in 1956 to 27.1 years for women and 29.2 years for men in 2016. This shift shows up around the world: the average age for a woman’s first marriage is approaching 30, and many women are delaying or choosing to have children outside of marriage because they feel financially independent.
Currently, 89 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where the marriage rate is steadily declining, according to the UH website.
Better to Be Alone Than with Just Anyone
Researchers identified several reasons why more women are opting not to marry. They cited a desire for independence, partners’ infidelity, expanding career opportunities, and a wish to protect themselves from potential domestic violence.
Dina Hannaford says that historically marriage has not always meant a happy life for women, which pushed many to look for alternatives. Today, new opportunities allow women to be full members of society without being married.
Many educated women who are thriving in their careers decide being single is preferable. It can be hard to find a partner who matches them intellectually, and those emotional and intellectual needs are often met through friendships and family connections.
The study found that women feel less need to be defined by a man. They pursue self-improvement, personal growth, and autonomy. They choose how to spend their time independently, without consulting a partner.
Dina Hannaford emphasized that the research does not aim to push women away from marriage. Rather, it asks whether marriage is the only acceptable or best option for people living in modern societies.
