Marriage Stats Are On The Decline, Particularly in the Black Community

Miami couple Eleanor and Lyle Gittens have a love story for the record books. At 107 and 108 years old, respectively, the pair, who celebrated 83 years of wedded bliss this year, just earned the title of the longest-married couple in the world, according to LongeviQuest.

The Gittens met for the first time in 1941 when Eleanor noticed Lyle, who played for Clark Atlanta University’s basketball team, in a game against Morehouse. They got married a year later while Lyle was on a three-day pass after being drafted into the United States Army during World War II. They went on to raise their three children in New York City.

But while their story is beautiful, the idea of a couple being married for more than eight decades is more than likely a thing of the past. According to recent census data, marriage rates are on the decline, particularly in the Black community.

When looking at the entire population, people are less likely to tie the knot these days. The percentage of never-married men rose from 28.1% in 1970 to 35.8% in 2020. The percentage of never-married women went from 22.1% in 1970 to 30% in 2020. But the stats are even more staggering in the Black community. The percentage of never-married Black men rose from 35.6 % in 1970 to 51.4 % in 2020, while the percentage of never-married Black women rose from 27.7 % in 1970 to 47.5% in 2020.

People are also waiting longer to say “I do.” The overall median age at first marriage rose from 23.2 years for men and 20.8 years for women in 1970 to 30.5 years and 28.1 years, respectively in 2020, according to Census data.

Although the numbers prove a decline in marriage rates, not everyone agrees on the cause. A report on the ‘Growing Racial and Ethnic Divide in U.S. Marriage Patterns’ published by the National Library of Medicine argued that societal factors, including women’s increased earning potential, have made the idea of marriage optional.

But contrary to what some might think, Black people who are getting married are keeping it in the family. Although the share of Black people with a spouse of a different race has increased, it is still a small section of the population, going from 5% in 1980 to 18% in 2015, according to data from the Pew Research Center.