I wonder, if like crime, if you asked people if divorce is a big problem if people would still overestimate it?

The fall in the divorce rate presents a problem for conservatives who want to talk about how "the family is being destroyed" (which family? how?)

But I wonder if people still think that a large number of marriages are ending in divorce.

I wonder, if like crime, if you asked people if divorce is a big problem if people would still overestimate it?

The fall in the divorce rate presents a problem for conservatives who want to talk about how "the family is being destroyed" (which family? how?)

But I wonder if people still think that a large number of marriages are ending in divorce.

@futurebird oh, mom still believes that "the kids today aren't staying married". It came up in conversation just yesterday.

I wonder, if like crime, if you asked people if divorce is a big problem if people would still overestimate it?

The fall in the divorce rate presents a problem for conservatives who want to talk about how "the family is being destroyed" (which family? how?)

But I wonder if people still think that a large number of marriages are ending in divorce.

@futurebird I definitely still thought that. In my immediate social circle, I would estimate about half the people have been divorced. (Even if they are remarried).

All through the 80s and early 90s the news was dominated by stories about the "divorce epidemic" and "single moms" also "latch-key kids"

Then something shifted and I think people are less likely to get married due to outside pressure and social expectations, and more likely to do it because they just really like being married. (That's why I did it. 10/10 best choice ever.)

The bitter irony of the "family is being destroyed" crowd destroying families by trying to ban gay marriage, scapegoating and persecuting trans people, deporting parts of perfectly happy families over minor paperwork errors or nothing...

I almost don't like to point out hypocrisy any more because to do so implies some set of shared vales and a capacity for caring that simply isn't there.

But I am very upset about all of these "attacks on the family" and how "the family is being destroyed"

@futurebird I’m 37 so I think I fall outside this. When I was coming up the hand wringing was all about hook up culture and how *much* casual sex we were having. But at this point most of my friends are married. One friend has gotten a divorce.

In my broader social environment I would say there’s relatively little divorce and when it happens it’s basically always: “I had kids with this man and then he got overwhelmed by what it takes to parent and turned into an additional child to take care of”

In fact the "young people are having less sex" stat is normally reported alongside similar stats showing smoking tobacco and drinking are less popular.

I've only once seen it alongside the marriage stat... which is odd isn't it? At least if you were expecting reporting to reflect "traditional values."

I also suspect some young people aren't dating or getting married or even going on vacation or having a drink ... because they are BROKE and working their fingers to the bone to survive.

@futurebird
As far as I know its not just young people... People are having less sex than before at all ages. Why? Could be things like being broke etc and also could be things like hormonal effects from environmental pollution. People are higher percentage body fat than before... But not just people, also mammals of all species at least thats what i remember reading. So, like micro plastics or hormone mimics in food or whatever could plausibly play a role.

@GinevraCat

Divorce is sometimes the right thing to do. And a low divorce rate could be a bad thing if people were feeling financially, or emotionally "trapped" in bad marriages.

But the rates are way down, it's one many remarkable social shifts that doesn't get talked about very much.

In my social circle there are very few divorces, but there are also not as many marriages as I think my mom might have seen.

@futurebird @GinevraCat I wonder if people are in roommate situations instead of marriages?