Divorce is up...china sales are down. Put it this way, if you were married
between 1945 and 1949 you had a better chance of receiving a new set of china on your 20th
anniversary than were your children. Why? Because you were 1.5 times more likely to have
still been married to the same person by the 20-year mark.
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The proportions of both men and women reaching various anniversaries
declined from marriages begun in the late 1940s to marriages begun in the early 1980s.
These trends are illustrated by comparing the marital histories of women who first married
in 1945 to 1949 with later marriage *cohorts: 81 percent reached their twentieth
anniversary compared with only 56 percent of those who first married in 1970 to 1974.
That's a 25.3% decline.
What is the last gift that at least 30 percent of today's
married couples is likely to receive? Probably a ten-year anniversary gift of tin, just
before one of them says, "I don't". -JK
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Percentage Women Reaching Stated
First Marriage Anniversary by Age Cohort* Source: US Census Bureau; Survey of Income and Program
Participation (SIPP), 1996 Panel
*A cohort signifies a group of people born or married in a spedified
time period.
AGE
COHORT
5th
10th
15th
20th
1945 to 1949
95.0
90.2
86.1
81.2
1950
to 1954
94.6
89.2
82.9
77.2
1955
to 1959
94.6
87.5
78.7
71.7
1960
to 1964
92.6
82.1
72.0
63.7
1965 to 1969
90.0
76.1
65.4
59.4
1970
to 1974
86.7
70.7
62.0
55.9
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Ministry Ideas
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Consider the age/gender profile and marital status
of your congregation as well as your community.
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Engage in ministry those who have healthy marriages to help
"younger" marriages, especially those who are either engaged or are in the
"danger zone"—the first five to ten years—of marriage.
Consider the pressures that are on young couples today and the tools they might
need to grow a healthy marriage and children. If they are not seeing good marriages
modeled in their parents or own peer group, how might the church fill in that gap?
Look into marriage programs that have been proven effective---even if they
are out of your particular denominational circle. For example, a Marriage Encounter
weekend retreat or a ministry that is dedicated solely to building and/or restoring strong
marriages.
Start a marriage and family ministry that would be targeted to the unchurched
in your area. (Example: "How to Divorce-Proof Your Marriage in the First Five
Years.") This could be a catalyst to help draw them into your faith community.
