Is Marriage Dead? 2/5 Of Us Think So

Is marriage obsolete? 39% of Americans say that it is, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.

Doubtless conservatives will worry that this will lead civilization into a downward spiral of chaos, but it is actually strengthening their favourite institution — The American Family. More groups of loving individuals are being classified as family by the public, which is good news for everyone involved.

For most, a couple with a marriage certificate is a family. But 4/5 extend that definition to an opposite sex couple or a single parent with children and 3/5 said an same sex couple with kids also qualified.

The death knoll for marriage appears to be that it doesn’t apply to gay couples. It’s a no-brainer that two sexually intimate adults who love each other and support one another and maybe even raise a child or two are a family. They might want a piece of paper as evidence for their commitment, but we certainly don’t need it to take them seriously  — therefore the paper is obsolete.

The problem which persists is that the government is not as sensible as the average American.

“People are rethinking what family means,” said Andrew Cherlin, a professor of sociology and public policy at Johns Hopkins University.

“Given the growth, I think we need to accept cohabitation relationships as a basis for some of the fringe benefits offered to families, such as health insurance.”

Marriage will survive because there will always be people who want to gather their loved ones together for an official announcement of their intention to form a family. But most of us don’t need the ceremony to recognise it. We know family when we see it.