Relationship Trends

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More women than ever are childless - 20% of women aged 40-44 have no children
Women are waiting longer to have children, and more women than ever are preferring not to have children at all, reveals a new Census Bureau report. 20% of women ages 40 to 44 have no children, double the level of 30 years ago. And women in that age selection who do have children have fewer than ever: an average of 1.9 children, compared with the average of 3.1 children in 1976. Women with advanced degrees are more likely to be childless: Of women 40 to 44 with graduate or professional degrees, 27% are childless, compared with 18% of women who did not extend their education beyond high school.
by nytimes.com | 2008-08-22 | Relationship Trends

Sex without the relationship lacks passion: Rise of hook-up culture
The stereotype of men in relationships is that they want to get laid without making a commitment. But I think that this is changing. Men do want a sense of commitment and monogamy before they hop into bed with someone. Do men need the relationship more than women do? I think men have become insecure by how independent women have become. Although they were fine seeing more than one woman and not staying faithful previously, when women are doing the same thing it isn't nearly as palatable to them. There has been a huge rise in the hook-up culture. Both men and women are putting career first and they do not have time to invest emotionally in a relationship.
by thenorthernlight | 2007-02-28 | Relationship Trends

Hookups in college may hinder long-term love: friends with benefits
A book "Unhooked" takes aim at the no-strings physical encounter called the "hookup." Although many consider it a euphemism for sex, the term is ambiguous. Laura Sessions Stepp is concerned, because hooking up does not happen in the context of a relationship. Her book argues that hookups college may hinder long-term love. Those who study young people's sexual behavior say it's too soon to know whether her tale of emotionally distant and commitment-phobic young people will prove true. The findings portray young people as less inclined to the one-night stand and more likely toward "friends with benefits."
by usatoday | 2007-02-16 | Relationship Trends

95% have had premarital sex - The Norm in America
Almost all Americans have sex before marrying shows premarital sex research. Such behavior is the norm in the U.S. and has been for the past 50 years. The study shows that by age 20, 75% of Americans have had premarital sex. That number rises to 95% by age 44. Even among those who abstained from sex until 20 or beyond, 81% have had premarital sex by 44. "The data clearly show that the majority of older teens and adults have already had sex before marriage, which calls into question the federal government's funding of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs for 12-29-year-olds."
by webmd.com | 2006-12-22 | Relationship Trends

Marriage - Comments by younger generation
As teenagers talk about of marriage, their comments reveal a dreary view of the institution. "I'm not looking forward to marriage," says Nakeeda Burns, "and I don't think we [people in general] should be married, because I see how other marriages ended up in my family. It's always a disaster." Even the married couples these teens know don't seem happy. "All of my friends who are married, they tell me not to get married," says Anderson Felix. Anita Marshall blurts out, "I want a big wedding if I get married," but she doesn't think she'll make it to the altar. Her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were married; now they're all divorced.
by boston | 2006-08-10 | Marriage & Wedlock

SMS influencing romance and relationships - Survey
From dating invitations to sexual comments, mobile text messaging is slowly changing the way young people approach romantic relationships, a survey has shown. More than half of mobile-users aged between 18 and 24 have sent or received an invitation to a date. 53% also agreed that sending a flirtatious message to someone while in a relationship was a form of cheating. 54% of women aged under 25, use their mobile phones to deter people from approaching them. "It acts as a kind of subliminal zone, an exclusive forum where the normal social rules are suspended. People often say things in texts which they would never say in real life."
by indiatimes | 2006-07-27 | Dating World

Teenagers prefer motherhood to low-paid job
Many teenage girls see having a baby as a better option than a low-paid "dead-end" job, research has found. The study suggested girls as young as 13 choose motherhood to be independent and to create "a loving family". Findings show teenagers are not ignorant about contraception, as is often assumed, and actively plan to have a baby. Areas of deprivation and poverty have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy. The study found that many of those who became pregnant as teenagers had wanted to compensate for their own bad experiences as childhood.
by bbc | 2006-07-18 | Relationship Trends

What teens really think about sex
Experts shocked as report reveals depths of ignorance that lead many to unsafe sex. 80% of teenagers lose their virginity when they are drunk, feeling pressurised into having sex or are not using contraception, a survey has revealed. The survey of 3,000 pupils aged 15-18 found that: 39% had sex for the first time when one or other partner was not equally willing. Almost three in 10 lost their virginity for 'negative reasons', such as wanting to please a boyfriend. 51% of girls and 37% of boys had had unprotected sex. 58% of girls and 39% of boys had slept with someone at least once without using a condom.
by guardian | 2006-05-25 | Relationship Trends

Births out of wedlock 'pass 40%'
The proportion of children born outside marriage in the UK has leapt from 12% in 1980 to 42% in 2004. In contrast, 15 other EU countries had an estimated average of 33%. The average UK household size fell from 2.9 to 2.4 people from 1971 to 2005. This was due to more single-parent families, smaller families and an increase in households of just one person. Although most children are born to married couples, this substantial rise in births outside marriage is a reflection of the rising trend in cohabiting parents. From 1986 to 2004, the percentage of non-married people under 60 who cohabited rose from 11% to 24% among men, and from 13% to 25% for women.
by bbc | 2006-02-22 | Relationship Trends

Chinese hire private eyes before marriage
The Chinese are increasingly turning to private detectives to check out prospective spouses before they tie the knot. China Daily reports that in some cases parents are the ones who want to make sure that their children will not get any nasty surprises after marriage. "Those parents just hope to see their children make the right choices." The detectives check available financial records, shadow targets and sometimes try to socialize with their friends to find out how others view them.
by upi | 2006-01-08 | Relationship Trends

Is monogamy dead?
At the recent World Congress of Sexology, noted sociologist Pepper Schwartz made a startling argument. There is every reason to believe, that non-monogamy will become part of the American sexual cycle. You could say that it already has. Some people live a polyamorous lifestyle, whether they are old-school Mormons or simply couples who agree to ¡°open relationships.¡± O.K., you say, but these people are a tiny minority, right? Sure, but many of the rest of us are not monogamous though we say we are. According to Schwartz, 25% of married men, have been non-monogamous as have about 15% of married women.
by msnbc | 2005-12-09 | Relationship Trends

Study shows generation dating earlier, marrying older
Students are now dating earlier than our parents did. They are more comfortable and experienced with the opposite sex today. In today's society, people are getting married at a later age than their parents might have. When our parents went to college, it was for work and marriage. Now people are going to college and putting their career first.
by DailyVidette | 2005-11-16 | Relationship Trends

Cohabiting couples are less likely to marry
Staying together before legally formalising a relationship seems trendy and convenient these days but is a very risky thing to pursue. It does not matter whether the man initiates the idea. Many women are deceived into thinking that when a man asks them to move in, it is a strong indication that he loves them a lot.
by researchnews | 2005-10-27 | Relationship Trends

The hookup culture: Having casual relationships is the new dating
"Dating" has taken on a different meaning for today's generation of students. And for many, it means too much commitment for comfort - Dating is way too serious - Dating is like being married - Your generation doesn't have a good word for between hooking up and being married. Stepp, 53, said her generation's in-between word was "going steady." For today's generation, "going steady" is as out of style as poodle skirts.
by GW Hatchet Hatchet Publications | 2005-10-05 | Relationship Trends

More couples say yes to sharing homes, no to marriage: Is that a problem?
It's occurring because they don't want the kind of permanent plunge they believe marriage represents. They think that by trying out cohabitation, perhaps they will decide to marry. But for many couples, living together creates the opposite effect. What often happens is once you are cohabiting, it's comfortable and there isn't much incentive to get married.
by Detroit News | 2005-10-04 | Relationship Trends

News for Two is a review of hand-picked news and articles related to marriage-relationship troubles & problems providing self-help tips and advices.