According to the Census Bureau, over half of U.S. households are not legally married. This means that the majority of people living in the U.S. are either single or cohabiting.

Now, to me this news is a little scary. It means that as of now, people are choosing to be alone and not raise families as a “traditional” family unit. Does this mean that society is shifting and maybe what was once “traditional” will no longer be so?

According to the article,

“…He predicted that cohabitation and temporary relationships between people were likely to dominate America’s social landscape for years to come.

‘Overall, what I see is a situation in which people — especially children — will be much more isolated, because not only will their parents both be working, but they’ll have fewer siblings, fewer cousins, fewer aunts and uncles,” the scholar argued. “So over time, we’re moving towards a much more individualistic society…’”

Personally, I come from a small family. I’m an only child, and I have no cousins. When my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and parents are gone…then it’s just me. I get it all. It’s kind of sad actually.

I love big familes. A dealbreaker relationship for me is someone else who is an only child. All of my closest female friends come from “huge, messy, tons of cousins” type families. I love that and all of the drama and excitement that comes with it. Because with the hardship, comes the love, and the togetherness. I am always spending time with my friends and their families, I am even close with extended members and hang out on holidays. As much as I love my parents, I find it kind of depressing and boring to be just with them on holidays and such, so I want to have that big group when I have my own family.

I think that 30 million single men and women is a problem. In addition to that, there are 14 million single mothers compared to 5 million single fathers. Maybe both sexes are being too picky in what they are looking for in a mate, resulting in learning to live comfortably alone, and not being willing to compromise. I’m not one for compromising self or losing track of your own values and beliefs, but sometimes you have to give a little to get a little.

Maybe people are given too many options and cling to the idea that a relationship is only temporary, and there will always be something else just around the corner. Maybe people get comfortable and just don’t want to rock the boat with the formality of marriage. I remember one girl I knew in elementary school, and her mom lived with her boyfriend of 10 years. TEN years! At that point, what’s stopping you? Marriage may just be a “legal” thing to some people, but when it comes down to it, it is at the bare minimum a necessity for your family should anything happen to your significant other.

It’s sad that I have so many friends age 24-28 who are scared they will never get married. They will never find the right time, or the right person, or be in that perfect place in life where it all seems to fall together. And, given the statistics in the article regarding the slight shift in the makeup of our nation’s households…maybe we’re all right to be scared of what the future does (or doesn’t) hold.

An article about other important numbers….

(The Washington Post gets it right…)

For This D.C. Woman, Nine-Tenths of a Man Is Not Good Enough

Sunday, September 24, 2006
– Kelli McTaggart

The U.S. government has confirmed what we single women in Washington have known for some time — there are no single men in the District. Or, more precisely, not enough single men in the District.

According to the Census Bureau’s recently released 2005 American Community Survey, the District has the lowest — read, worst — ratio of single men to single women in the nation. For every 100 single women in Washington, there are only 93.4 men. That’s just over nine-tenths of a man for every woman. Now, if you’ve been single for as long as I have in this town, nine-tenths of a man is starting to sound pretty good. But not as good as Nevada (120.2 men per 100 women), North Dakota (120.1) and Alaska (118.9).

Now, I realize it’s not statistically fair to compare the District, a mere city, to those big states. But imagine — 1.2 men for every woman. I wonder if that .2 of a man does laundry.

One might think that this news would depress me. On the contrary, I feel vindicated. The next time one of my married friends (and all of my friends are married) asks me why I have not met someone yet, I have an answer based on cold, hard numbers: I am fabulous, but I am a victim of demographics.

I can now rebut the theories that I must be too picky, too wrapped up in work, too busy watching HGTV to meet my future husband. Until they start busing men in from North Dakota, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. (For the record, I lived in Fargo for a year, and, without revealing too much information, I can vouch for the Census Bureau’s numbers).

Actually, based on my hands-on scientific research in the Washington area (going on blind dates since the halcyon days of the Clinton administration’s first term), the numbers may be worse.

The Census Bureau did not account for gay men. Doing so — considering the number of times my single girlfriends and I have been set up on a date only to find out later the guy is gay — probably would bring the figure down to, say, .73 men for every woman (my single sister believes it’s more like .5), making our situation even tougher.

I know how hard it is because I’ve tried it all: blind dates, group dates, speed dates. Young/old; short/tall; liberal/conservative; Yankees fans/Red Sox fans. I’ve been to Spices so many times for the casual sushi dinner date that I’m beginning to think it’s my own “Groundhog Day.” I tried an online date but ended that when it became apparent that the guy searched my property records to find out where I lived. I even went out on a blind date with a guy from the suburbs, but he showed up for our date hung over after drinking all day at an amusement park. But then again, I am picky.

Finally, a word of advice to straight, single men. Please, stop with the “errand” dates. This is a date where the woman shows up in a pretty dress and fresh lip gloss, and the man has essentially penciled her in while he’s running errands.

I have seen two men go grocery shopping while on the way home from a date with me. One date apparently just could not wait to buy his milk, cream and cookies. Nothing says romance like a trip to Whole Foods.

Yes, the census figures have given me new hope. Whereas I used to think I was not trying hard enough or had become bitter, cynical and exacting, I now know the truth: It’s not me, it’s demography. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go work on my blackjack skills. Nevada, here I come!

Confirming what I and many others already know…apparently Arlington, VA is ranked 13th in the nation for having the skinniest people.

This just leads to my conclusion that I should move to the midwest, where the boys are good corn-fed gentlemen who like wholesome girls. And well, Bloomington, IN has the highest number of singles. So do many cities in Iowa. (Though, who wants to live in Iowa?)

Forget the East and West coast, mid-west is where it’s at!

Confirming what I and many others already know…apparently Arlington, VA is ranked 13th in the nation for having the skinniest people.

This just leads to my conclusion that I should move to the midwest, where the boys are good corn-fed gentlemen who like wholesome girls. And well, Bloomington, IN has the highest number of singles. So do many cities in Iowa. (Though, who wants to live in Iowa?)

Forget the East and West coast, mid-west is where it’s at!

Confirming what I and many others already know…apparently Arlington, VA is ranked 13th in the nation for having the skinniest people.

This just leads to my conclusion that I should move to the midwest, where the boys are good corn-fed gentlemen who like wholesome girls. And well, Bloomington, IN has the highest number of singles. So do many cities in Iowa. (Though, who wants to live in Iowa?)

Forget the East and West coast, mid-west is where it’s at!