The battle of the sexes is alive and well. According to Pew Research Center, the share of women ages eighteen to thirty-four that say having a successful marriage is one of the most important things in their lives rose nine percentage points since 1997 – from 28 percent to 37 percent. For men, the opposite occurred. The share voicing this opinion dropped, from 35 percent to 29 percent.
Believe it or not, modern women want to get married. Trouble is, men don’t.
Over the last several decades, the rewards of marriage for men have declined, while the risks have climbed. Unsurprisingly, they find it less appealing.
UPDATE: Reader Chuck Allen notes an additional angle: “With regard to fewer young men looking to get married, who can blame them? Those 18-34 y.o. males mentioned in the survey have grown up watching media where husbands and fathers are demeaned as either incompetent or uncaring (or both) by the all-knowing and exalted wife/mother. So, if that is the impression of marriage given by television shows and ads, why would young men want to get married (at least so quickly)?”
Indeed.