Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Politics and Religion
The Dwindling Nuclear Family

The Dwindling Nuclear Family

Last updated on: December 15, 2021 at 6:00 am by Gene Veith

0 Comments

The Dwindling Nuclear Family 2021-12-11T18:31:23-05:00 Gene Veith

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The percentage of American households that consist of a married couple and children under 18 fell to a record low: a mere 17.8%.

That’s according to census records, as reported by Bloomberg News. Last year, the percentage of married-with-kids among the 130 million households in America was only 18.6%. In the 1970s, the percentage was over 40%.

The rest are singles, cohabitors, roommates, empty-nesters, widows and widowers, older families, and married but no kids. The article cites as reasons for the decline people delaying marriage, and married couples choosing not to have children.

The pandemic, the article says, has further put off weddings over the last two years. It has added six months to a woman’s average age when she gets married, which is now 28.6 years old. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the average age for getting married was 20.4 for women and 22.8 for men. Of course, there have been many other factors since then, such as women going into the workforce at a greater rate, but the delay in marriage also decreases the number of children.

The American fertility rate dropped to 55.4 births per 1,000 in the second quarter of this year. That’s a decline from 58.5 in the same quarter of 2019.

I came across yet another curious fact about the dwindling nuclear family. Among couples who are married, 13% live apart from each other!

This is sometimes because of the demands of their jobs–the two have careers in different cities, or one of them gets transferred and they decide that one of them will stay put so the kids won’t have to transfer to different schools–but sometimes it’s because the two put such a high premium on their independence.

An article on the subject in the Wall Street Journal profiles one couple who is, as they are calling it, “living apart together.” The story is illustrated with a picture of the two standing on their respective balconies in an apartment building, one right above the other.

In this case, the arrangement was an alternative to getting a divorce. It turned out, they both simply needed their “own space.” Some couples are living in different cities, getting together on weekends or when they can, so that they can stay closer to their children from previous marriages. But some are “living apart together” from the get-go.

The article, entitled The Secret to These Successful Marriages? Living Apart, quotes someone in one of these arrangements: “There’s no rulebook that says you have to live with your spouse.”

But isn’t that what marriage is? The Bible is more than a rulebook, but Jesus Himself says, quoting Genesis 2:24-25:

“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6).

The man leaves his parents to “hold fast to his wife,” forming a new family. They become “one flesh.” They are “joined together,” and “man” should not “separate” them. I think this can accommodate temporary living apart arrangements, but surely it speaks of the two being together.

What do you think of this kind of arrangement and about the larger decline in the number of traditional families? What do you think the consequences will be?

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

fertility rate decline

living apart together

Previous Post

December 14, 2021

No, Luther Isn't to Blame for Subjectivism

Next Post

December 16, 2021 Has China Overtaken--or Passed--the U.S.A.?

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"While she worked for Trump she was a tool's tool!"

reg

Luther on Tools

"I know wired earbuds are making a comeback (I never stopped using them as I ..."

reg

Luther on Tools

"VCRs, tape decks, and cassette players are all having a revival among a segment of ..."

Tom Hering

Luther on Tools

"As a (retired) lawyer I see potential liability from sharing things like power or sharp ..."

reg

Luther on Tools

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category America Apologetics Art baseball Bible Blog Christ Church crime Culture Economics Education Ethics Family Food Football Government History Holidays Holy Week Humor International Islam Language Law Life Issues Literature Media Medicine Movies Music Nature News Personal Philosophy Politics psychology Reformation Religions Sacraments Science sex Social Science Sports technology television terrorism Theology Uncategorized Vocation war

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who saw a plumb line in a vision, symbolizing judgment?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Joel Micah Amos Obadiah

Books by This Author Books by Gene Veith

See All Titles »