Young people today are less eager to get married than theywere two decades ago; many are remaining single into their latetwenties or even thirties. The median age at which men first getmarried is 29.8 years, and the median age for women is 28 years(U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). Although the age at which peoplemarry for the first time has been rising steadily since the 1950s,it has accelerated since the 1970s. Over the past fifty years, theproportion of women aged twenty-five to twenty-nine who havenever married has more than tripled.
      Why are more people postponing first marriages or choosingnot to marry at all? Although some reasons are the same as thosefor staying single, sociologists suggest four key factors: (1)economic uncertainty, (2) women’s increasing participation inthe labor force, (3) sexual relationships outside marriage havingbecome more socially acceptable and contraception havingbecome more _____, and (4) as a result of rising divorce rates,less eagerness to get married and thus risk getting divorced.Likewise, a significant increase in cohabitation and domesticpartnerships contributes to the percentage of people who arecounted as single or postponing marriage.
46. Which of the following is the best title?
(A) Median age of first marriage
(B) Staying single
(C) Postponing the marriage
(D) Sociology and marriage