Emerging Trends and Enduring Patterns in American Family Life
Key Points
- Despite the falling marriage rate, few (26
percent) Americans believe marriage has become old-fashioned and out-of-date.
Notably, young adults are no more likely than older Americans to say the
institution of marriage has become outdated. - There is a massive perception gap in the
division of household labor. Women are far more likely than men to say they are
engaged in a variety of domestic activities, including cleaning, cooking, or
doing laundry. - The religious character of marriage is changing.
Roughly eight in 10 (81 percent) couples who married before 1972 share the same
faith as their partner, and just 3 percent are in secular marriages. In
contrast, just over half (52 percent) of couples married in the past decade are
in same-faith marriages, and 16 percent are in secular unions. - Forty percent of Americans who grew up with
siblings report that their parents had a favorite child. Americans who
perceived their parents picked favorites report having less close relationships
with their siblings and their parents and felt lonelier growing up than did
those who said their parents had no favorites.
Read the PDF.
Executive Summary
American family life has
profoundly changed over the past half century. The marriage rate is falling,
women are having fewer children, and many Americans, young adults in
particular, are rethinking what it means to be a family. But despite these
changes, few Americans say the institution of marriage is outdated, and it
remains a goal for most single Americans, who express interest in getting
married one day.
The institution of marriage
is evolving in important ways. Religion, which at one time was at the center of
much of American family and married life, has become less prominent. Not only
are interfaith unions increasingly common, but so are marriages among people
who have no religion. For couples married before 1972, roughly eight in 10 (81
percent) share the same faith as their partner, and just 3 percent are in
secular marriages. In contrast, just over half (52 percent) of couples married
in the past decade are in same-faith marriages, while 16 percent are in secular
unions.
Americans still report high
levels of satisfaction in their relationship with their spouse, and the social
benefits of marriage remain considerable. The overwhelming number of married
Americans have a positive view about their relationship with their spouse.
Compared to Americans who are unmarried, married Americans are more likely to
report that they have a satisfying social life and a larger group of close
friends. They also say they are more satisfied with their personal health than
their single peers do. Yet men appear to accrue these advantages at somewhat
greater rates than women do. There is also a massive perception gap between men
and women in the division of household labor. Women are far more likely than
men to say they take on the lion’s share of domestic tasks, and mothers in
particular say they do this when making decisions regarding their children.
The contours of American
family life have changed considerably in recent years, but some of our most
important formative influences remain the same. Most Americans report growing
up with a sibling, and few experiences have a more unique or enduring impact
than sibling relationships. Most Americans with siblings say they had a
reasonably close relationship with their brothers and sisters growing up, and
middle children notably report the closest relationships. Parental favoritism
appears to exert a crucial role in how Americans relate to their siblings and
broader feelings of social connection and kinship. Overall, 40 percent of
Americans who grew up with siblings report that their parents had a favorite
child. Americans who perceived their parents picked favorites feel less close
to their siblings and their parents and were more likely to report feeling
lonely while growing up than those who said their parents had no favorites.
Introduction
The American family has
never been a static institution. Rather, the patterns of family formation and
function continue to evolve in response to the emergence of new technologies
infiltrating American homes, shifting economic realities, and new cultural
attitudes. Today, Americans are marrying later and having smaller families.1 And more Americans
than ever are choosing to elide either.
Despite these shifts in
behavior, most young Americans still aspire to get married and have children.
Few Americans report that marriage is irrelevant, and many believe that society
benefits when its members prioritize having and raising children. However, how
Americans think about marriage and child-rearing has changed. In their personal
relationships, and even religion, Americans appear to be prioritizing
individual preferences to a far greater extent.
Newly married couples are
eschewing religious wedding ceremonies that connect them to existing
traditions and communities, preferring instead celebrations that reflect their
own personal tastes and preferences. The primacy of individual preferences also
manifests itself in family life. Fewer Americans growing up today have regular
meals with their family, a practice that was routine a generation ago. And
Generation Z reports having lonelier childhoods than those born in earlier
generations.
But not all changes in
family life are exclusively the culmination of shifting personal desires; the
loss of faith in formative institutions, rising cost of childcare, and feelings
of economic insecurity among young adults may play roles as well. There is
evidence that the extensive financial obligation raising children requires is a
formidable hurdle for many Americans. Americans who are uncertain about having
children cite the cost of doing so as the most important reason they would
choose not to do so.
Most Americans continue to
be fairly upbeat about marriage—and for good reason. Both married men and women
generally feel satisfied with their spouse. In aggregate, both men and women
derive considerable benefit from being married. Married Americans have more
satisfying social lives and larger social networks and report greater
satisfaction in their personal health. Yet men appear to accrue these
advantages at somewhat greater rates than women do.
Despite signs of greater
parity between men and women in taking on domestic duties, women appear to take
on a far greater burden, particularly with decisions regarding children. Women
report performing far more of the household chores, including cooking,
cleaning, and doing laundry. Married mothers are also far more likely to say
they are primarily responsible for making health decisions and planning social
activities for children. The ongoing tension may be one reason women are much
more likely than men to leave their marriage and, after doing so, less likely
to get married again.
But despite the many changes
and distinct experiences, American family life has enduring qualities. In many
families, mothers remain the most important source of personal and emotional
support, although there are considerable cross-cultural variations. Siblings
continue to play a crucial role during our formative years and beyond. Parental
decisions and behavior can have lifelong influence. Parental favoritism, the
notion that parents have a favorite child, has far-reaching negative effects on
family dynamics and relationships. And parental divorce continues to disrupt
American family life.
Read the full report.
Read the report on the Survey Center on American Life website.
Notes
- US Census Bureau, “Historical Marital Status
Tables,” November 2021, https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/families/marital.html;
and Bryan Walsh, “The Great Population Growth Slowdown,” Vox, January 5, 2022,
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/1/5/22867184/us-census-population-growth-slowdown-migration-birth-death.
