Item from the Smart Marriages Archive, reproduced in the Divorce Statistics Collection

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Study: Twentysomethings want fun, sex -- not marriage

Jun. 7, 2000 | 3:03 a.m.

By LINDA A. JOHNSON Associated Press Writer

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Americans in their 20s don't believe love and
marriage go together like a horse and carriage, according to a study that
found young adults are choosing casual sex over courtship and matrimony.

The National Marriage Project at Rutgers University in New Brunswick
surveyed never-married men and women ages 21 through 29 in Atlanta,
Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and northern New Jersey for its new study,
``Sex Without Strings, Relationships Without Rings.''

The study, released Tuesday, was based on results of separate ``focus
group'' interviews of men and women -- about 10 to 12 of each gender --
who also filled out questionnaires. The numbers aren't statistically
representative of that population, but a larger study is planned for next
year, said David Popenoe, co-director of the three-year-old project.

``We put this out as a special report because the material seemed so
compelling,'' said Popenoe, a Rutgers sociology professor.

Rutgers chose to interview adults who weren't college students or
graduates because that demographic represents roughly 75 percent of the
population, Popenoe said.

``If you want to look at what's happening in the country, this is the
group you want to look at,'' Popenoe said.

The study found nearly identical goals among men and women in their 20s:
achieving financial independence and buying a home before marriage -- and
delaying marriage indefinitely.

``They tend to look at marriage not as a wealth-building thing, but as an
economic risk'' because of the high costs associated with divorce,
Popenoe said.

Among those in their late 20s, though, there was a difference. Men still
wanted the single life. Women were getting more serious about finding a
husband, the study found, but more disenchanted about their chances of
landing a good one.

``The women were very pessimistic and they had grown very distrustful of
men,'' Popenoe said.

One reason he suggested was that the women were more sure of themselves,
but the men surveyed were more immature and less goal-oriented.

Participants were more likely to see personal satisfaction as the purpose
of marriage, not raising children together. Many of the men did not want
any children, and both sexes said having children outside of marriage was
acceptable.

The study also found that participants were likely to idealize marriage
-- despite regarding it as difficult work -- and support marriage
preparation as a good way to prevent unhappy marriages and divorce.

``Although the study participants expect their future marriages to last a
lifetime and to fulfill their deepest emotional and spiritual needs, they
are involved in a mating culture that may make it more difficult to
achieve this lofty goal,'' said Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, the project's
other co-director.

The ``Sex Without Strings'' report is part of a larger study, the
project's second annual report on the health of marriage in America,
called ``The State of Our Unions: 2000.''

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