Between 1950 and 2011, according to calculations by the
University of Maryland sociologist Philip Cohen, the marriage rate fell
from 90 marriages a year per 1,000 unmarried women to just 31,
a stunning 66 percent decline. If such a decline continued,
there would be no women getting married by 2043!
But rumors of the death of marriage are greatly exaggerated.
People are not giving up on marriage. They are simply waiting longer
to tie the knot. Because the rate of marriage is calculated by
the percentage of adult women (over 15) who get married each year,
the marriage rate automatically falls as the average age of marriage goes up.
– Stephanie Coontz,
The New York Times, June 22, 2013
On Saturday at Tuscan Hall…
He said, “Requests?”
I said, “Billy Joel.”
Here’s what he gave me.