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| The odds for a happy marriage may favor those
who tie the knot between the ages of 23 and
27. |
Americans are waiting longer to get married, but
they shouldn't wait too long: The odds
for a happy marriage may favor
those who tie the knot between the ages of 23 and 27, says a survey out
Thursday.
The average age at first marriage in the USA has been inching upward;
it's now 26 for women and 27 for men.
The survey asked a variety of questions about
marriage and divorce, including attitudes toward cohabitation
and raising children. Eighty-eight
percent of respondents said marriage should be a lifelong commitment.
The survey was designed and analyzed by University of Texas sociology
professor Norval Glenn for the National Fatherhood Initiative, which
advocates marriage and family values.
To determine marital satisfaction and success, Glenn says, the answers
to a series of questions were calculated according to a statistical index,
including adjustments for the length of marriages as well as the age at
first marriage.
Findings shouldn't create panic among those approaching 30, he says.
"Those marriages turned out better but maybe not because of the age," he
says. "Some people may be just too picky or too choosy or not extremely
desirable."
Other researchers worry that the findings, based on a 15-minute
national telephone survey of 1,503 men and women ages 18 and older in late
2003 and early 2004, may alarm those unattached and marriage-minded.
Andrew Cherlin, a professor of sociology and public policy at Johns
Hopkins University in Baltimore, says marrying too young or too old
carries a greater risk of divorce. But now, "as people wait longer and
longer to marry, the definition of what's too old keeps changing."
"In the 1950s, 28 was really old to get married. Now it's not so old,
which means there are more unmarried people for a 28-year-old to choose
from," he says.
(Agencies) |
美國人往往要經(jīng)過長久的等待才最終決定結(jié)婚，但周四公布的一項調(diào)查研究顯示結(jié)婚不應(yīng)該等得太久，幸福的婚姻可能會更偏愛那些在23到27歲間喜結(jié)良緣的人。
目前，美國人首次結(jié)婚的平均年齡正慢慢上升，現(xiàn)在女性的首次結(jié)婚年齡為26歲，而男性為27歲。
這項研究調(diào)查了許多有關(guān)婚姻和離婚的問題，其中包括對于同居生活和撫育孩子的態(tài)度。88%的受訪者表示婚姻應(yīng)該是一輩子的承諾。
德克薩斯大學(xué)社會學(xué)教授諾費爾·葛蘭為美國父權(quán)行動協(xié)會設(shè)計了這項調(diào)查，并對調(diào)查結(jié)果進行分析，該協(xié)會提倡婚姻和家庭價值觀。
葛蘭說，為了確定婚姻是否幸福和成功，這套調(diào)查問卷的答案是根據(jù)統(tǒng)計指數(shù)來計算的，包括婚姻持續(xù)時間和首次結(jié)婚年齡。
他說，研究結(jié)果不會讓那些將近30歲的未婚者產(chǎn)生恐懼，“那些相對來說更幸福的婚姻可能并不是因為年齡。有些人可能太挑剔、太苛求或者不是特別滿意，”他說。
其他一些研究者擔(dān)心該項調(diào)查的結(jié)果會讓那些未婚和有結(jié)婚打算的人產(chǎn)生恐慌。調(diào)查者們在2003年底和2004年初對1503名18歲和18歲以上的男女進行了15分鐘的電話調(diào)查。
位于美國巴爾的摩的約翰霍普金斯大學(xué)社會學(xué)和公共政策教授安德魯·切爾林說太早或太晚結(jié)婚都有較大的離婚風(fēng)險。但是現(xiàn)在，“人們結(jié)婚的時間越來越晚，什么時候結(jié)婚才是太晚很難界定，而且在不斷變化。”
“上世紀50年代，28歲結(jié)婚就屬于晚婚了，但是現(xiàn)在，28歲結(jié)婚還不算太晚，就是說即使到28歲還沒有結(jié)婚，還有很多未婚的人可以選擇，”他說。
(中國日報網(wǎng)站薛曉文編譯) |
Updated: 2005-11-21 09:14
