Data Talks

The median age for first marriage in 1975 was 24 for a man and 21 for a woman. Today it is 31 and 28, respectively. Roughly 70% of adults at the time were married. Today, only about half are. One reason for both changes is the prevalence of non-marital cohabitation. In the 1960s, the typical husband and wife met, married, and moved in together within three years. Sharing a home happened after marriage because living together with an unmarried partner was not a widespread social phenomenon. But couples today are on a very different relationship timeline, argues @DelanoSquires

— The Institute for Family Studies (@FamStudies) October 6, 2026