Marriage no longer the norm for American women

In 1950, the heyday of the nuclear family, only about a third of American women lived the unmarried life. Today, according to the latest census data, over 50 per cent do. Single is now the norm.

Women who have been raised to make their own living no longer need the economic security of marriage, and are increasingly willing to live alone or with a partner outside marriage. The trend is particularly pronounced among the young. In 1950, 42 per cent of U.S. women under the age of 24 were married, in 2000 only 16 per cent were.

Wedding bells still ring, but less and less it seems.