A recent study by a University of Houston professor and other anthropologists has shed some light on the way women around the world, and here in Houston, think about marriage.
The findings: more and more women are choosing not to get married.
KPRC 2′s Sofia Ojeda sat down with two experts to talk about what that means and some pros and cons to this pretty big life decision.
“This is something that we heard about basically all around the world, is that women were starting to opt out of marriage,” says Dinah Hannaford, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Houston.
Hannaford and her colleagues researched why women around the world were not choosing marriage.
“You have women who get divorced or become widowed and say I’m done with the husband part of my life I don’t need that again, I’m so happy being fulfilled being a mother. Women in Southern Africa who decide that being a mother is definitely a life goal but being married, not so much,” added Hannaford.
What about here in Houston? What are the trends here?
“For women here, Houston is such an international city that the trends we see all over the world, we definitely see in Houston too. More and more people are waiting longer to get married, including in the U.S., the age of first marriage is so much later, and the number of women staying single is much higher too than it’s ever been,” says Hannaford.
Hannaford believes it’s due to more career opportunities for women but also finding a partner that supports a woman’s independence.
“What are you offering me at home? Are you another plate to clean up and put in the dishes or are you a helper and will fully be a present partner?” says Hannaford.
Women are also choosing to stay with their own families rather than marry into another family.
“Women are realizing that they can make communities of women that really practically are the basis of their whole lives. Women are less likely to settle anymore,” said Hannaford.
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR WOMEN FINANCIALLY?
“You have women who stay single and have no kids, they are getting wealthier,” says Houston financial advisor, Richard Rosso.
Rosso says today it costs $310,000.00 to raise a child up to the age of 17.
Pew Research shows 44% of Americans 18-49 years old are never going to have kids. Click here for that study.
“Overall you’re seeing that women, especially single women who have careers and without kids had an average of about $65,000 in wealth compared to single men at $57,000 that’s a federal reserve study,” says Rosso.
But overall, he says, married couples do tend to be richer.
“If you are an unpartnered adult you don’t fare as well when it comes to median earnings across the board. The overall global population is getting older because we don’t want children and that’s not good from an economic perspective as you move forward,” says Rosso.
Hannaford is co-editor of the book “Opting Out: Women Messing with Marriage around the World.” It goes into the study in detail, rethinking marriage and its use.
Women who are opting out of marriage and women who are innovating within marriage are finding new ways to make marriage more rewarding.
Hannaford says the trend of being single longer and choosing to become single mothers, too, is a trend not seen or really thought about 30 years ago.
Click here to learn more about the book.
For more information on the study by the University of Houston, click here.