Put a Ring on it?
AHS Students and staff discuss their ideas about marriage.
Some people want a ring on their left hand.
December 20, 2021
While some students are waiting for the next school bell to ring, some are waiting for wedding bells. Fifteen percent of AHS students surveyed said they can’t wait to get married.
Junior Aubrey Guyer said, “I think marriage is good. I think it depends on the person. I feel like part of growing up is getting married and it’s a normal thing in my mind but [it] might be a little overhyped.” Nationwide, marriage has been on a steady decline over the last 50 years, according to US News. The marriage rate in the United States is currently 6.8 per 1,000 total population. This number dropped to 5.49 percent from 2018 to 2019.
Marriage is viewed as old-fashioned by many, and fewer people are getting married each year. Guyer said, “I think parts can be old-fashioned such as the ceremony or weddings but I don’t think marriage is old-fashioned.”
Fifty-two percent of AHS students that responded to a survey said they hope to get married someday. Only eight percent said they don’t have strong feelings about marriage. The remaining respondents either had their own opinion or will choose not to get married. Freshman Jocey McEntaffer hopes to someday get married and said, “I love it. I think it’s a good thing to grow closer to the person you love, and I feel like you have to work harder for certain things. Like when you get into a fight you can’t just break up and you have to work it out and let them know how much you love them.”
Junior Aiden Sanny said that one of the benefits of marriage is “you have a lower chance of developing depression later on in life.”
In the survey, many students said some of the benefits are being able to spend time with the person you love, starting a family, and having a spouse. McEntaffer said a benefit is “spending the rest of your life with the person you love.”
When it comes to marriage, a fear some people have is the commitment aspect. McEntaffer doesn’t think marriage is too big of a commitment. “I feel like if you’re willing to get married, then you’re willing to put [the other person] first and spend the rest of your life with them.” Only 2.3 percent of students said that marriage is too big of a commitment.
With Covid-19 shutting down in-person gatherings, weddings were canceled or postponed for months. There was also a decline in divorce, despite the predictions that the stress of Covid would lead to divorce. According to the CDC, the current decline for divorce is 2.9 per 1,000. In saying this, it doesn’t mean couples are necessarily happy but instead may be staying together for practical reasons.
With the tradition of marriage wavering, many have decided to change how they approach matrimony. Younger couples are waiting longer to tie the knot or choosing to live together without marriage. Couples who get married tend to be better educated and are more likely to stay together.
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