Critique Essay

Intro

Americans people have turn into a nation that lose their interest in marriage. Marriage rate in the United States continue to decline and divorce rate are still increasing . The article,”The State of Our Union,” was written by David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead. “Popenoe is a professor of sociology at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. An expert in the study of marriage and family life, he has written or edited ten books. Whitehead lectures and writes on the well-being of families and children for scholarly and popular audience” (16). As an expertised in marriage and family life, the authors claim that the rate of a divorce rate increasing in the United States is due to cohabitation and, even more importantly, cohabitation being a factor of divorce is controversial.

Summary

The purpose for the article written by Popenoe and Whitehead is to warn the Americans people that the health of marriage life in America is still in a critical condition. The authors stated that the Americans people have become less less likely to marry. Americans people are living longer now and married later in life. For example, “the median age at first marriage went from 20 to 24 for females and 23 for males in 1960 to about 26 and 27, respectively, in 2004” (17). As a result of delaying their first marriage, the higher number among young adult of cohabitation, and relationship without rings. “ most younger Americans now spend some time living together outside of marriage, and unmarried cohabitation commonly precedes marriage. Unmarried cohabitation is the status of couple who are suxual partners, not married to each other, and sharing a household is particularly common among the young” (24). Beside, relationships without proper marriage is less common in those of educated and higher income levels than lower educational and income levels. Also religious, education and decent-income are playing an important role of getting lower chance of divorce.

Evaluation

The article,”The State of Our Union,” by David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead seek to inform that the rate of couple divorce is increasing in America due to cohabitation, though it might not be in all cases. They warned the public, particularly those of young people about the rise among young adult of cohabitation, and relationship without rings. More importantly, Popenoe and Whitehead encouraged reader