Poll:Are you married or unmarried?

[ER Eddie]

(OP) Definition for purposes of the thread: legally married. If you signed the contract, you are married. If you didn't, you aren't.

I guess the exception might be if you're in a state where there are common law marriage regulations. If you've cohabited long enough to be considered married under common law, then you're married for the purposes of the poll.

 

[ER Eddie]

Overall, looks like 67% are married. That's considerably higher than the national average, which is about 50%.

Marriage rates are dropping overall, as I'm sure you've heard.

Article from 2012.

Why is the US marriage rate falling sharply?


For the first time in memory, unmarried Americans will soon outnumber those who are married, according to the latest research. So is this a watershed moment?

At first glance it would appear that, in common with many Western countries, marriage is in terminal decline in the United States.

In 1960, 72% of all American adults were married; in 2010 just 51% were, according to the Pew Research Center. The number dropped sharply by 5% in the most recent year, 2009-10.

"I think we are on the cusp of seeing marriage becoming less central to our life course and in framing the lives of our nation's children. So I think it is a major moment in that regard," says Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project and a sociology professor at the University of Virginia.

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16274740


Here's another article, saying that rates of marriage in the older population are rising. The reason is that men aren't dying as early as they used to.


Marriage Rates Rise for the Old, Decline for the Young

"The marriage rate among older Americans keeps increasing, even as more and more younger adults never marry or postpone it until later in life, according to a statistical analysis released this week by the Institute for Family Studies.

"As a result of these divergent trends, most 65-and-older people are married (55.3 percent) while most younger adults are not. In fact, the marriage rate among 18-to-64-year-olds dipped to a record low of 48.6 percent in 2016, using the latest available Census Bureau data."

https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2018/marriage-rates-fd.html

 

[Livefree]

Married 32 years on July 12th..Retired one year ago.

 

[rodi]

(OP) Definition for purposes of the thread: legally married. If you signed the contract, you are married. If you didn't, you aren't.

I guess the exception might be if you're in a state where there are common law marriage regulations. If you've cohabited long enough to be considered married under common law, then you're married for the purposes of the poll.

What about states with civil unions or registered domestic partnerships. CA allowed rdp's for seniors and same sex. My dad was registered domestic partners with my step mom. (That's what I consider her - since she's basically grandma to my son's since my mom died before they knew her. and she's an awesome woman.) If they'd married they each would have lost survivor benefit pensions, SS, etc. About $3k/month would have been forfeited if they'd married. And as they said - they weren't having kids together. But they wanted a legal status that gave them rights if one was in the hospital and a myriad of other legal issues.

Lots of people have legal relationships that are not marriage, but are recognized by the state.

 

[catii]

40 wonderful years in October.

Wife & I both swing swords, so our household is VERY polite!

And, would you believe that ours is the only house on our long street that has never been broken into? I mean, what kind of idiot would try to burglarize a place where they KNOW we swing swords?!

 

[CantThinkofAUserName]

Unmarried, in a 29 year relationship. We both consider marriage a contract with the government, and so far that contract has not worked out in our favor, so we haven't signed it. Once the marriage contract with the government is favorable to us, we'll sign it. We're both in complete agreement about this. Having seen both sets of parents, 2 out of 3 siblings, and 1 set of grandparents go through divorces, we don't believe "getting married" creates a stronger relationship. Not looking to start an argument, just explaining our particular relationship and mindset.

 

[Jerry1]

View attachment 29178


40 wonderful years in October.

Wife & I both swing swords, so our household is VERY polite!

And, would you believe that ours is the only house on our long street that has never been broken into? I mean, what kind of idiot would try to burglarize a place where they KNOW we swing swords?!

Sorry, couldn’t help myself

 

[ER Eddie]

What about states with civil unions or registered domestic partnerships.

I don't know enough about civil unions to answer that question. Does a civil union involve the same legal obligations/commitments as marriage does? What if the couple splits up? Do the people in that union face the same legal consequences as married people would?

 

[Henry Lili]

I've been happily unmarried to my Stepford wife for 25+ years. Never cranked out offspring so we never made it legal, but we've shared a home and a life for longer than a lot of our married friends. Where do we fit in the poll?

+1. 25 years this coming December. 16 of those living together. No offspring. Separate finances.

 

[Souschef]

If they'd married they each would have lost survivor benefit pensions, SS, etc. About $3k/month would have been forfeited if they'd married. And as they said - they weren't having kids together. But they wanted a legal status that gave them rights if one was in the hospital and a myriad of other legal issues.

Rodi,

Some years ago the law was changed. DW has survivor benefits, and because she was over 60 when we married she does not lost them.