In Columbia, almost half of the men and women 15 or older have never married, according to the 2006 American Community Survey, a report from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The median age of a first marriage for women is 25.5, which is 4.5 years older than the median age nearly 40 years ago.
Women are postponing marriage and motherhood to acquire more school and work experience, said David Schramm, assistant professor in the MU Department of Human Development and Family Studies.
Karen Elliott, healthy marriage initiative specialist with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, agreed that the university influence contributes to the disparity between national statistics and Missouri statistics.
Missouri’s marriage rate has dropped 37 percent in the past 25 years. That is 7 percent more than the decline in the national rate.
In 2006, Missouri’s marriage rate was 6.9 percent, the lowest in recorded history, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The national rate is currently 7.5 percent.
“Single men and women are going to school, and that’s where their money is going,” Elliott said.
In addition, divorced women who never earned a college degree might be going back to school to support themselves, she said.
The number of divorced women in Columbia is more than twice the number of divorced men.
Trends of cohabitating, marrying at later ages, and having children outside of marriage could also explain the low marriage rate.
“Marriage is no longer a prerequisite for having children,” Schramm said.