Marriage rates in the United States are at an all time low. They are even lower now than they were during The Great Depression of the 1930s when rates dropped down nearly 25% over the span of approximately ten years. Marriage rates drastically dropping during this time  is  understandable as most would agree that this decade was the single most decade of hardship in modern American history. However, divorce rates are also higher now than they were after the end of World War II in 1945 (the previous highest in recorded US history.) This sudden spike in the divorce rates can be contributed to the heightened spike in marriage rates just before the war started. According to the National Center for Health Statistics records of marriage and divorce rates over the past 144 years, there are a few trends that surround major wars in which the United States has sent large amounts of soldiers to battle. The year  before a major war there is a significant rise in marriage rates and the year that the war ends there is a significant rise in divorce rates. War is something so devastating that it can tear families apart just by the amount of time that is physically spent apart and mentally by the high levels of stress that go along with worrying about your loved ones. It is easy to determine why marriage and divorce rates change rapidly during times of hardship and war, but what has caused the historically low marriage rates and historically high divorce rates over the past few decades? The answer is simple. For the most part, the United States has grown considerably more individualistic for both men and women over this course of time. This rise in individualism can be attributed to our increased exposure to the media through television and social media, as well as the increased importance of a college education to the individual; these are the leading causes of the rise in divorce rates and the decline of marriage rates in the past few decades. 

 There are countless numbers of factors that have contributed to rise of individualism in the United States. Modern women have every opportunity to be just as successful as men. However, just a few decades ago, this was not true. This is because (for the most part) women of the time (19th century) rarely went to college and did not hold high ranking positions in companies. Even if they had a college education, they were unable to do much with it because of the male dominated society that they lived in at the time. Most would agree that modern society in the United States is still predominantly male dominated, but there are now women in power positions (such as United States Senate or a serious United States presidential candidate) that had previously only been reserved for men. Women have fought for decades in order to establish the equal opportunities that they have today and this is because of the higher education at accredited universities that they received which allowed them to earn more respect and therefore these positions of power, despite their sex. Women no longer have to rely on men, thus decreasing the number of women that seek out men for marriage. Now that women have the opportunity to make as much or even more than their male counterparts, they no longer have to rely on men for financial support. Women such as Oprah Winfrey have become role models for the modern generation of women. They are strong, independent and very influential women that have pathed the way for women to succeed in this country. Oprah Winfrey is possibly the most influential person that has claimed that they will never get married. She has had the same “lifetime partner” since 1986, but recently revealed that she will never be legally married to him as she does not see the benefit of marriage. There could be several underlying factors that contribute to her reasoning, such as the issue of having a prenuptial agreement in the case of a divorce so that she will be financially secure in the event of a separation. Considering her age, this is very strange that she does not consider marriage a priority. The Oprah Winfrey Show empowers women of all ethnicities to be as strong and as independent as they can be and that there are no limitations on what the modern woman can accomplish. She has showed women of all ages that they do not necessarily need men to support them financially or emotionally which has contributed to the falling marriage rates that we have seen over the last few decades. 

Sex is not something that should be taken lightly, especially by adolescent teenagers that may not be properly educated on the risks associated with the act. Besides the obvious risk of pregnancy, there is also the risk of the spread of a sextually transmitted infection. According to the 2015 Center for Disease Control (CDC) survey, 41% of all high school teens are sexually active , 14% of those teens have had four or more partners, 14% did not use any form of contraceptive and 21% of those that reported substance abuse before having sex. A 1972 CDC anonymous survey found that approximately 14% of high school teens reported premarital intercourse. (Center for Disease Control) This statistic more than doubled starting in the 1990s and has remained the same since then. The emergence of reality tv shows during this time certainly did their part in discouraging young adults to get married as it went against the status quo that was being portrayed in these shows. In 2001 the Fox Network released a new show called Temptation Island. It was a show where young and attractive couples would go to an islands with a large group of other couples, break up with each other and then proceed to hook up with others. The Bachelor first aired in 2002 and has been a hit show ever since. In this show, several women compete in order to win the right to marry the one male in the show. It glorifies hook ups and dates with each and every one of the women. In turn, young adults and the adolescents that watch the show see these picture perfect actors on television and look up to them as role models. These reality shows portray a lifestyle that most adults would consider to be a fantasy world, but the problem is not the adults that watch the show. The problem is that these shows have a target audience of the age of 14-21, which also happen to be crucial years for neurological development in both males and females. The modern generation and those to come are corrupted by a phenomena that social psychologist are beginning to refer to as “cheap sex.” This idea is specifically directed towards men in modern society. It refers to the idea that men do not have to invest as much time and effort into a woman in order to have sexual relations with her. Social psychologist Kathleen Vohs wrote: “Nowadays young men can skip the wearying detour of getting education and career prospects to qualify for sex. Sex has become free and easy. This is today’s version of the opiate of the (male) masses.” This is indeed a very biased viewpoint towards sex and marriage and it does not apply to all individuals. It paints a negative picture of the way that some members of our current society live their life and is not a true reflection on our entire society.  However, it does demonstrate that we no longer live in a society that is “saving it for marriage.” 

We as Americans live in a society that is currently following a path to an entirely different type of morality. This modern morality is one that would sicken those that lived during the golden age of our country. There is no wonder as to why marriage rates are down and divorce rates are up since the  end of the golden age. Children are becoming exposed to mature and or explicit content at a younger age with each passing year. Given proper access, a child born today would be able to use a smartphone to its full potential by the age of six. We are becoming so technologically adept at a young age that those born today will surpass the technological knowledge of their parents at a young age. According to a 2017 study by fightthenewdrug.org, the average age of exposure to sexually explicit content for children in the United States is 11 years old. Pornagraphy is more redily accessible than it ever has been with the rise of the internet in the common household. Where it use to be considered taboo to look at pornography in magazines, it is now less frowned upon and somewhat accepted in today's society. The internet is a very dangerous place for young children because of popups and viruses that could give the child premature access to sexually explicit content that they are not yet ready to understand. The rise of the household computer and the internet also came around the same time as the reality television shows that have laid the groundwork for the ideas of the shows that are still on the air today. However, the rise of the common household computer and the easy access to pornagraphy from the comfort of  home was not the worst of the causes for marriage decline, but it is one of the most “game-changing.” A 2004 survey of divorcees reported that the viewing of pornagraphy by their spouse was one of the reasons that 56% of divorcees initially filed for divorce. This could be because online pornagraphy was still widely in its infancy stage at the time. It was most likely still considered taboo at the time and it was certainly not as predominant in the household as it is today. In his 2011 report on addiction to pornagraphy, Dr. Kevin Skinner had this to say about pornagraphy being a problem in society: “I am convinced that relationships do not have to end because of pornography. The problem is individuals, couples, and our society does not know how to deal with porn yet. It has entered our lives and our homes like a tsunami and we are ill-prepared to talk about it in a meaningful way.” This statement was clearly ahead of its time as it foreshadowed the eventual acceptance of pornagraphy in society. With pornagraphy being so easily accessible to the public at little to no cost, there is no choice but to accept that most children will be prematurely exposed to this at some point and the consequences that come along with it. Individuals have less of a need for the physical attraction that comes along with love in a relationship because of the ability for them to seek out pleasure over the internet at the click of a button at their own convenience.  

On August 1st, 2003, the first major social networking site named myspace was launched. Facebook, the most popular social media site thus far was launched just a year later and has not looked back since. What began as small sites that were created to keep in touch with friends that had parted ways, have now transformed into sites that almost have an “anything goes” policy. There are age restrictions and certain things that you do not have permission to view or access without being a certain age, but a 10 year old child could make a profile and set their age at 35 and have unlimited access to whatever they want! Facebook paved the way to Instagram and SnapChat which are undoubtedly the two most used social media applications in the world at this current moment. There are some very popular, young celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Drake (just to name a few) that have profiles on these applications with millions upon millions of followers. The majority of their followers are under the age of 21, as are the majority of the users on these applications. Therefore, the lifestyles or parts of their lifestyles that they choose to post on these sites can and will absolutely influence their young followers that look up to them as role models. As these children have unlimited access to these public celebrity profiles, they begin to live vicariously through these people. They slowly begin to abandon whatever values have been taught to them by their parents, siblings or school teachers. By the time the children reach their teenage years, they are able to actually participate in some aspects of life in which they had previously been only able to do vicariously because of their limitations as younger children. The above mentioned social media icons have surely contributed to the rise of individualism. By spreading their ideal lifestyles to children and young adults through social media in order to increase their own notoriety, they have also unintentionally given their followers a false sense of what reality is for the majority of individuals in the world.   

There are many reasons outside of social media that may have contributed to this downward spiral. However, there is a strong correlation between divorce rates in the past 10 years and social media usage rates. A study by the Pew Research Center shows that in 2005, 10% of people aged 18-24 had used an online dating service. In 2015, this statistic rose to 27% in this age group and will continue to rise as it becomes easier and more acceptable to date online. These sites allow you to find another person that is “compatible” with you with just the click of a button. The dating world has changed more drastically than any other time period in our history due to the emergence of the internet and the online dating services that eventually came along with it. This new way of dating has had an impact (either negative or positive) on all generations not only the “millennials” as some would like to think. Those in the age range of 45-55 are the next highest users of online dating services as of 2015. One thing is for sure for the generations to come: The internet will most likely impact your dating or married life in some way. Whether it be the way that one meets their partner or the reason that they end their relationship with their partner, it is bound to happen as the online dating becomes more prominent with each passing year.  “Couples who have been together for a decade or less—also typically younger than those who have been together for longer—are much more likely to have used dating services or the internet to meet their partner, to use technology to help with the logistics and communication in their relationship, and to report that the internet had an impact on their relationship.” (Lenhart, Duganne)  

It is easy to understand how a major world war could have heavily contribute to the drastic changes in marriage and divorce rates, but what is not so easy to determine is as to why these historically drastic rates have recently resurfaced. Although, the rise in individualism for both men and particularly in women has been the main benefactor. If nothing changes in our society, we will continue to see these historically high and low rates grow with each passing year. The “Golden Age” of marriage being the centerpiece to a happy home is long behind us and the dawn of individualism is upon us.               

 
