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my general sense from my general reading/thinking is that the main reason people get married less is that they're wealthier marriage is fundamentally an economic institution I've been thinking a bit more lately too about church-as-a-social-institution

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Simon Kuestenmacher

@simongerman600

Nov 29, 2018

That's what social change looks like. In 2016 only half of the US population over 18 was married. Two years later this rate almost certainly fell below 50%. Reasons are delay of marriage as people stay in education longer and falling religiosity. Source: pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017

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hmmm. I think you're next to it. But I don't think this is "it".

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and

I think a key issue is that many of the wealth benefits of getting married have disappeared, or eroded, as a function of changing social norms. I.e. yes people often married for wealth historically, and in many times and places *only* for wealth, but now it's EXPENSIVE.

3:11 PM · Nov 29, 2018Twitter Web Client

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Visa’s Vexing Vacillations

@visakanv

Nov 29, 2018

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@Triquetrea

oh yeah this is the more precise take. they're comparatively wealthier because the wealth-benefit of marriage has diminished and the wealth-cost of marriage has increased, probably even if we semi-ignore the smartphone variable

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I'd put it more bluntly: people don't believe the opportunity cost is worth it. They're often right, IME.

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and

Effectively, you're looking at this reason (and several other reasons) for getting married becoming deprecated with time and drift. I'd say not getting/staying married, for many people, is a function of reduced optionality, commensurate with an increased -reliance- on mobility.