响应斑竹号召，这是第五篇~
剩女并不是中国才有，美国姑娘也有一大把的剩下来。彭博资讯上的这篇文章告诉我们要开始更新观念了，不是“七年之痒”，而要升级到“八年之痒”了，再联想到到有6%的婚姻能超过50年，我们是否要更相信爱的力量？

Americans Delaying Marriage as Couples Get ‘More Selective’
By Frank Bass
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May 19, 2011 4:11 AM GMT+0800

U.S. couples living together and gettingchoosier about their prospective spouses is leading more people to delay marriage.Almost 47 percent of women from 25 to 29 had never been married in 2009, almost double the 26 percent reported in 1986, according to a Census Bureau report released today.
Based on a survey taken since1986, the increase in the age of couples at their first marriage is “one of themost noticeable changes in marital patterns,” according to the report.
“As marriage rates havedecreased and cohabitation has become more common, marriage has become moreselective of adults who are better off socio-economically and have moreeducation,” the report said.
The youngest brides were most likely to be Hispanic, withonly 36.8 percent from 25 to 29 reporting that they’d never been married. Onthe other end of the scale, 70.5 percent of black women from 25 to 29 hadn’tbeen married.
Wedding consultants also havenoticed that the father of the bride isn’t as generous as he used to be, anddaughters are taking note.
“Getting married is a cost,” said Dena Davey, director of marketingfor the Association of Bridal Consultants. “The bride’s fatherused to pay that cost, but now we’re seeing it split among families, or thecouples are paying it themselves.”
The New Milford, Connecticut-based group’s 4,000 wedding planners areseeing fewer brides in their late 20s, Davey said in a telephone interview. Couples are waiting longer to get marriedbecause they’re living together first, she said, and often must save money topay for their wedding.About 27 percent of women from30 to 34 reported never having been married in 2009, almost doubling the 14percent who hadn’t been married in 1986. The percentage of women older than 55who had never married rose to 5.8 from 4.8 percent in that period.
The median age at first marriage in 1950 was 23 for men and 20 forwomen. It’s now 28 for men and 26 for women, the Census Bureau said.
The report showed marriagesappear to be lasting longer, with 55 percent of married couples together for 15years or longer. More than a third of those have reached their 25th anniversary,and 6 percent have been married 50 years or more.
The length of time formarriages to unravel appearsto have stayed constant, around the classic seven-year itch. Couples who divorce in theirfirst marriage separate after a median period of seven years, the Census Bureau said.The median time to the official end of the marriage is eightyears.“I think it’s getting better,”said Lisa Beth Older, a New Yorkdivorce lawyer. “For agarden-variety divorce, a year is not really out of the question. But it’s still aslow-moving process.”
Almost three of fourcouples are still in their first marriage, the Census Bureau reported. Eightpercent of married couples consist of people in their second marriage, and 1percent of married couples include a husband and wife who each have beenmarried three or more times.