WETZSTEIN: Marriage, family a goal for teens

One of my favorite research groups, Mathematica Policy Research Inc., has released a comprehensive review of where American teens and young adults stand on dating, cohabiting and marriage.

My fascination with reports like this is simple. Families are the bedrock of a nation. The way a nation’s young people handle their family matters shapes the nation for decades to come.

The purpose of this study, was to get “a good sense” of teens’ views and experiences with romantic relationships, said project director Robert G. Wood.

The federal government is funding programs to promote healthy relationships among adolescents, so it’s good to know what teens are thinking, Mr. Wood said. Also, “there are all these big changes in patterns of marriage,” he said, and teenagers are the natural harbingers for family trends.

The major findings of Mathematica’s new report, “Pathways to Adulthood and Marriage: Teenagers’ Attitudes, Expectations and Relationship Patterns,” are familiar.

Teens are dating less and postponing sexual intercourse until late in high school (or after graduation).

Most high school seniors have favorable views toward cohabiting (64 percent approval in 2006), and 39 percent of young people aged 21 to 24 have actually cohabited.

In contrast, marriage is rare for young adults only 18 percent of the 21 to 24 age group have married.

These are the highlights, but I’m sure they don’t quite answer the pressing question that many middle-aged mothers (and fathers) have, which is “When will I become a grandparent?”

What does the data say about when beautiful, educated daughters finally get engaged? When do good-hearted, employed twentysomething sons find a wife?

Well, there’s good news and bad news. First some good news: 91 percent of high school seniors believe having “a good marriage and family life” is extremely or quite important in life. More than 80 percent say they expect to marry.

Moreover, American youth overwhelmingly want their marriages to be life-long. When the 12th-graders who said they expect to marry were asked if they “expect to stay married to the same person for life,” 90 percent said yes.

This reflects a strong ideal and strong expectations for marriage, Mr. Wood said.

Now some caveats.

Story Continues →