According to Professor Stephanie Coontz, who is the Director of Public Education for the Council on Contemporary Families, this change is just a natural reflection of the fact that women are increasingly waiting to get married. In addition, more women are willing - and able - to leave marriages that are making them unhappy. In fact, many women are simply choosing to say no to marriage in general as they find they are capable of living a happy and full life without having a spouse.
Everywhere around the world, except in Afghanistan under the Taliban, women have been pouring into the labor force. They have been increasing their representation in education. Women are now a majority of university students in many, many countries, not just in the United States. That means that they have more options than in the past. They can postpone marriage. And when they do enter marriage, they have different expectations than women who used to be forced to marry even if they are not fully in love because they needed a man to confer their legal rights, to support them economically, and give them the social respectability. - Professor Stephanie Coontz, Director of Public Education for the Council on Contemporary Families
Coontz does not, however, mean to imply that women do not believe in marriage. Rather, they are more willing to wait for a relationship based on mutual regard, equality, and common interests before tying the knot. In the past, many women chose a spouse based on the economic security it provides or on the social status it offers. As women increasingly earn their own wages and levels of respect, these factors are no longer a consideration for most.
Coontz predicts that this change will actually be positive for the American society, and for the rest of the world where women are increasingly getting into the workforce and becoming more independent. According to Coontz, this change will result in women making better choices in their spouses and raising more stable and happy families.
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