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Why are the large age gaps in marriages decreasing?

2021-10-20T06:16:30.548Z


Statistical data show that there is less and less age difference between the people who make up a marriage. These are the reasons.


They have been together for 7 decades and just took photos of the wedding 1:00

(CNN) -

A while ago, my friend told me that a friend of ours in her 30s was engaged to marry a 50-year-old.

The big gap made my mind think of the old - and some might argue sexist - "half plus seven rule", which has shaped the cultural understanding of what an acceptable age gap is in relationships.

It's a simple math equation that comes up more often these days in references to relationships involving older men and younger women. Take the age of the oldest partner (50 in the previous example), divide by two (25) and add seven (32). If that number is less than or equal to the age of the youngest person in the couple, "the rule" suggests that person is old enough to date the oldest person. And if it is taller, that suggests that the person is too young.

Interpreting this "rule" as an ironclad law of relationship physics is ridiculous and out of date.

Still, as I explore on my new "Margins of Error" podcast, age gaps in relationships have narrowed, despite all the press about celebrity couples with large age gaps.

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In fact, according to data from the US Census Bureau, the percentage of new marriages between women and men that violate the rule has decreased from 30% in the early 20th century to just over 10% in 1980 to so only 3% today.

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The decline in the proportion of people breaking "the rule" reflects a society in which women and men are becoming better educated and becoming more financially secure.

This has led to people (especially women) marrying later.

So how did this supposed rule come about?

An in-depth analysis of the files shows that only in the last 25 years "the rule" came to reflect the minimally acceptable age in a relationship.

It used to be that half a man's age plus seven was considered an ideal gap.

This standard was first released more than 100 years ago by men, who based their findings not on statistics, but on the gender power dynamics of the time.

According to economics professor Terra McKinnish, "the rule" made sense under the male breadwinner model in which "the man wants to establish himself in the labor market so that he can show earning potential. And so it makes sense ... delay the marriage a bit so they can send that signal. "

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In essence, social norms demanded that the man provide the money and the woman the children.

When it comes to contemporary relationships, data from male same-sex couples tell a different story than heterosexual couples.

Men in same-sex marriages are much more likely to break the current incarnation of "the rule" than heterosexual couples - 15% compared to that 3% figure I cited earlier.

You can find the latest episodes of "Margins of Error" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Marriage

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-10-20

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