Marriage once stood as a nearly universal life milestone — the expected transition from youth to adulthood, family, and social stability. But today, millions of young adults are rethinking if marriage even belongs in their future. While it’s dramatic to call marriage *extinct*, the trend lines suggest we are living through a historic transformation in how this generation views traditional commitment — one with cultural, economic, and demographic implications.
Marriage Rates Are at Historic Lows
Maria Baer, Brad Wilcox, Deseret News
Dillon Burroughs, The Christian Post
Who Cheats More? The Demographics of Infidelity in America
Male Sexlessness is Rising But Not for the Reasons Incels Claim
Counterintuitive Trends in the Link Between Premarital Sex and Marital Stability
The U.S. Divorce Rate Has Hit a 50-Year Low
The Porn Gap: Gender Differences in Pornography Use in Couple Relationships
Weekly roundup of research, commentary, and insights changing the national conversation on the family.
P.O. Box 1502 Charlottesville, VA 22902
© 2026 Institute for Family Studies
© 2026 Institute for Family Studies
Before you go, consider subscribing to our weekly emails so we can keep you updated with latest insights, articles, and reports.
Before you go, consider subscribing to IFS so we can keep you updated with news, articles, and reports.
We’ll keep you up to date with the latest from our research and articles.