In 1960, 72 percent of all American adults were married. Fast forward to today - now only 51 percent have taken the plunge. Why are fewer of us tying the knot?
"People are cautious about getting married," says Michelle Aycock, a licensed psychotherapist who has more than 15 years of experience in marriage counseling. "What I have tended to see is that they tend to be more career focused and oriented pursuing higher education, because they do want to be financially stable prior to getting married or starting a family."
Aycock also believes there's a bigger fear of marriage than ever before.
"People tend to shy away from marriage when it comes to thinking about 'Well, this could end in divorce,'" she explains.
Christen Jenkins and Robert Tibbs have been dating for four years. They want to get married, but not any time soon.
"We couldn't even imagine going through that whole process right now; it's just kind of unrealistic at the moment," says Jenkins.
But, they say marriage is definitely in the cards.
Jenkins says she believes her southern upbringing influences her desire to be a housewife, but Aycock says that isn't the norm anymore.
"I think that women are delaying having children and are pursuing careers and staying in their careers longer," she adds.
And that's a trend she believes will continue.
FOX19-WXIX
