The Global Marriage Decline: Why We’re Here & How to Fix It

It’s really no secret that the younger generation isn’t dating anymore, and we are definitely feeling the implications of this via the global marriage decline. One quick search on Google or any social media platform will reveal thousands of posts, articles, and thought pieces on why kids are falling out of love with love. Recent data shows that dating apps took a huge hit in the last two years, with the 10 biggest platforms losing 16% of their user base. More than half of all active dating app users are between 18 and 34, which shows just how significant the dating crisis is for our youth.

But unfortunately, that’s not the end of the story; it isn’t just the younger generations who are abstaining from love and marriage. According to data from the US Census, only about half of Americans are currently married, compared to 72% in 1960. Marriage rates are at an all-time low, and the trend is expected to keep accelerating. For the first time in decades, more women under 35 live with their parents than with a spouse. 

I think we all can recognize that love, relationships, and marriage have lost their popularity. However, it’s much more difficult to understand how we got here in the first place. There’s no one, easy-fix issue that led to the death of romance; really, it’s a deeply nuanced combination of social, economic, and cultural shifts that occurred over the past few decades. The good news is that there’s still time to change the course we’ve routed and find our way back to a non-negotiable aspect of the human experience: love.

What Caused the Global Marriage Decline?

Financial Instability

Economic hardship is one of the biggest barriers to marriage today. Although we aren’t in the 1950s, marriage is still seen as a “security” for women, particularly a financial security. We all know that historically, women relied on men to be providers and breadwinners while they assumed a more domestic role. However, everything changed in 1974 when the Equal Credit Opportunity Act was passed, allowing women to open their own bank accounts… or so we thought. In fact, women in the US still look to men to be financial providers, despite women contributing infinitely more income to the household.

Unfortunately, men across the globe haven’t been able to keep up with the financial demands of long-term partnership. As income disparity continues to grow, lower-income men face compounding struggles and are less likely to be considered “marriage material”. Housing insecurity, job instability, and lack of financial opportunities all make marriage feel like a far-off dream. If men are only desirable if they are able to provide real financial stability, how is any man supposed to feel otherwise in an economy that continues stack the odds against them?

So, when you combine women no longer needing, but still wanting men to be financial providers and men facing intense financial demands in a world with extreme income inequality, what do you get? The answer is simple: a global marriage decline. Women have simply put marriage and having children on the back burner to blaze ahead in higher education and the workforce. Men, on the other hand, have fallen behind in terms of college enrollment and economic success, making it even more challenging to woo a woman with her own means to provide.

Social Roles & Identity Politics

Touching on my first point, women now have equal opportunities to be the main income provider in their household. With more career opportunities, financial independence, and social mobility, women are less willing to settle for relationships that do not align with their personal and professional ambitions. Accordingly, women’s expectations for men have increased because of economic and social empowerment movements in the past 40 years, perpetuating the global marriage decline. 

Gone are the days when it was “good enough” for a man to simply etch out a decent living for his family. Now, men are expected to share the financial, household, and child-rearing responsibilities with their partner. There’s just one problem: men and women alike really aren’t handling these shifting dynamics well. You have people on both sides of the aisle; one side pushes for a return to traditional gender roles, while the other advocates for more fluidity in dynamics and responsibilities. As these two opposing agendas have collided, we’ve unintentionally created a culture and gender war in the explosion. 

Globally, men and women have become divided. Overwhelmingly, the data shows that younger women are significantly more liberal than younger men. Back in the day, this wouldn’t be much of an issue. However, with the extreme rise of identity politics, where you fall on the political spectrum is arguably a more important factor in romantic compatibility than your religion. In fact, 46% of singles say that they would not date someone with opposing political viewpoints. As women become more liberal, men become more conservative, and politics become a make-or-break in romantic relationships, it’s no wonder we’re facing a global marriage decline!

Social Media & Cultural Shifts

It’s not just global economic disparity causing marriage rates to plummet; as we’ve revolutionized our cultural norms and expectations, we’ve also changed our expectations for relationships. As I mentioned, long gone are the days when women needed to rely on men for income. Women now have excellent career opportunities, financial independence, and social mobility, which means they don’t need to marry for the sake of putting dinner on the table. This is an overwhelmingly positive shift that’s had unforeseen and deeply unfortunate implications. 

According to a study by the American Sociological Association, only 73% of women expect to marry, a decline of 10% in the past decade alone. The biggest reason? Women no longer need to settle for a relationship they aren’t truly invested in. Although this is empowering, there are deeper issues at play that encourage women to take the definition of “settling” to the extreme. As social media continues to dominate our dating landscape, so does “comparison culture”. You know those picture-perfect dream couples you’re fed every day on your Instagram feed? They might be giving you unrealistic expectations of romantic relationships and causing the global marriage decline. 

Recent studies have shown that heavy social media users are 32% more likely to consider divorce than those who scroll in moderation. However, that statistic doesn’t only apply to married couples; nearly all research suggests that being extremely active on social media makes us more likely to be dissatisfied with our relationships. As we’re constantly exposed to more and more unattainable relationship “goals”, our perception of what’s reasonable begins to shift out of reality.

Birth Control & Changes in Commitment

I imagine that my previous points have all been fairly common sense, but my next one is quite the hot take. Yes, birth control and the availability of other contraception methods have decoupled sex from long-term relationships. According to research by the National Bureau of Economic Research, access to birth control has impacted the age at which women choose to marry. No longer worrying about unprotected sex and the social impacts of having a child out of wedlock, women have chosen to put their careers first, embrace hookup culture, and push having children to an afterthought.

With the rise of safe and affordable contraception methods, the rates of pregnancy have astronomically declined around the world. According to data by the CDC, the US birth rate dropped by 3% in 2023 alone. It only makes sense; marriage is a security for raising children. It’s a legally-binding contract for the husband, spouse and children that ensures everyone involved has some protections.

Now that women have safeguards in place for unplanned pregnancy, the cultural pressure for abstinence before marriage is also declining. Now, having a child as an unmarried woman will no longer get you run out of town like a pariah, either! Unplanned pregnancies don’t lead to shotgun marriages like they did in previous generations. Although this is widely a positive shift, the relaxation of social pressures to get married and access to birth control has drove the age of marriage up for women across the globe.

How Do We Fix It?

Rethink Financial Expectations in Relationships

Marriage has always been about growing together, and we must find our way back to that mentality. The truth is that there isn’t some perfect timeline for when to settle down, get married, and start a family; couples must come together to work towards shared financial goals. Marriage shouldn’t be reserved for those that have reached a high-income bracket! Marriage is partly designed to be a means to achieve financial stability, not just a byproduct of it.  

Through budgeting, financial planning, and truly sharing resources, couples can make the most of what income they have. I know that advice can feel a little empty in our current economy, but I promise that it’s entirely possible with dedication and perseverance. I can’t pretend that couples have it as easy as they once did, but I promise that we can have a better future. If we learn to adjust our romantic expectations to the current climate, not only will we be more satisfied in our relationships, but we will shape the future of marriage itself. 

Here’s my advice to you: reframe your expectations on who is supposed to be a provider. We live in a society where both men and women have opportunities to accrue wealth, so use that to your advantage! Not every marriage needs to have a breadwinner. In fact, my own marriage doesn’t follow that model; we both have successful careers and monetarily provide for our family. We pushed our society to become more equal, and now we must embrace the world we’ve created. 

Make Marriage More Attainable for Low-Income Couples

For low-income couples, the biggest roadblock to marriage isn’t love or commitment, it’s finances. Economic instability makes it difficult to plan a future together, leading many to delay or avoid marriage altogether. To counteract this, several strategies can be implemented:

• Affordable housing initiatives: High rent and home prices make it difficult for couples to plan for the future. More policies promoting affordable home ownership and rental assistance could help young couples establish a stable foundation.
• Tax benefits for committed partnerships: Some policies incentivize marriage, but additional financial benefits such as reduced tax rates or credits could provide stronger support for long-term couples.
• Accessible childcare and work-life balance initiatives: Many couples delay marriage and family planning due to the high cost of raising children. Expanding access to subsidized childcare, paid parental leave, and flexible work arrangements would ease financial strain and encourage stable relationships.
• Financial counseling and marriage preparation programs: Providing access to financial education and premarital counseling can equip couples with the tools needed to navigate financial challenges together, ensuring they enter marriage with realistic expectations and strong financial strategies.
• Employer incentives for family stability: Encouraging companies to offer family-friendly benefits, such as paid parental leave, childcare support, and flexible work hours, could make marriage and family life more manageable for working couples. These measures could remove financial stressors that prevent many from considering marriage, allowing couples to focus on building strong, committed partnerships.

Promote Alternatives to Social Media Style Dating Apps

I realize that I only briefly touched on the impact social media, dating apps, and online dating have had on the global marriage decline, but that isn’t for lack of good reason. In fact, recent studies show that relationships started from online dating are less stable and fulfilling than those formed from real-life connections. Not only that, but it’s well known that dating apps promote hookup culture and casual dating, which is one of the main reasons we’re here to begin with. 

So, what’s the solution? We must encourage intentional relationships over easy and instantaneous connections. Intentional dating, where couples seek serious, long-term compatibility instead of surface-level, transient connections, helps to build stronger, more fulfilling relationships. Dating apps have proven to fail at this time and time again, so we can no longer wait for big tech to swoop in and save the dating scene with yet another robotic, soulless app. 

The best way to make lasting connections is still through a trusted third party, like a friend, family member, or Matchmaker. We have to return to our roots and rely on our social circles or trusted professionals to meet possible partners. Unfortunately, small, tight-knit communities are on the decline as well. 

Matchmaking can be a wonderful solution for successful singles looking for long-term, committed partnership built on shared values and lifestyles. As marriage remains ever-changing and increasingly uncertain, one of the best ways to regain perspective and clarity is to trust the professionals. In the face of a global marriage decline and deep mistrust in relationships, anyone who’s still looking for long-term commitment can benefit from the guidance of a trusted relationship expert.