Family Background Affects Marriage Views
by AFA Journal
August 10, 2004
(AgapePress) - Men from non-traditional families tend to shun the idea of ever marrying, and they are less likely to marry by their early 30s than men raised in traditional families.They are also less trusting of women according to a survey of more than 1,000 heterosexual men from ages 25-34. These are the findings of a study [PDF] conducted by the Opinion Research Corp. of Princeton as commissioned by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University.
The researchers attribute this negative perception of marriage by men of non-traditional families to the bitterness caused by divorce that so often plagued their childhood.
As reported by USA Today, David Popenoe, co-director of the National Marriage Project, said that "...adults raised by divorced parents have more 'live together' relationships than do those from traditional homes."
Diane Sollee, director of SmartMarriages.com, told USA Today, "Example is not just the best teacher, it's the only teacher, and a lot of these guys learned attitudes about marriage and women from their fathers."
This article appeared in the August 2004 issue of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association.
