1. Marriage in International Perspective

2. Marriage is more prevalent in the United States than in nearly all other developed Western nations.

4. American’s Attachment to marriage
To the statement, “Marriage is an outdated institution.”
Only 10 percent of Americans agreed- a lower share than in any developed nation except Iceland.
22% of Canadians agreed
26 % of the British
36 % of the French
Overall, Americans seem more attached to marriage as a norm than do citizens in other developed countries.

5. Historical ties
Historian Nancy Cott has argued that the nation's founders viewed Christian marriage as one of the building blocks of American democracy.
Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in the 1830s: “There is certainly no country in the world where the tie of marriage is more respected than in America or where conjugal happiness is more highly or worthily appreciated.”

6. However: More Transitions Into and Out of Marriage

7. Important concept: Marriage Metabolism
The number of marriage - and divorce- related transitions that adults and their children undergo
The sum of the total first marriage rate and the total divorce rate

8. Marriage Metabolism