Always the bridesmaid: People who don't expect to marry

Article: Always the bridesmaid: People who don't expect to marry (PDF)

Objectives

• To explore the importance of marriage to the next generation of potential husbands and wives.

Classroom instructions

1. Survey the class to determine what percentage of the class expects to marry. Discuss the reasons why some expect to marry while others do not.
2. People marry for many reasons in addition to love; among other things, they want financial security, social status, a partner with whom to have children, and someone with whom to share decision-making and household labour. Make a list of the criteria that you think are important in choosing a compatible husband or wife. What factors are most important?
3. Mature singles who don't expect to marry do not believe that settling down is important to their personal happiness. But a crosssectional (snapshot) survey like the General Social Survey on which this study is based cannot tell if people have always felt this way, or if their views have changed over time. For instance, someone who has always been very content having close friends, satisfying work or fulfilling hobbies may never have felt that being married would make them more happy; on the other hand, someone who has had a rough time finding a spouse may have decided to withdraw from the "marriage market" in order to avoid further disappointment. What factors would contribute to unmarried people changing their marital intentions as they grow older? Explain the reasons for your answer.
4. Divorce has made many people hesitant to marry. Nevertheless, they still want the love and companionship that comes from being part of a couple; in fact, many people who refuse to marry are perfectly happy to live common-law with someone. Discuss whether being together and being married are different or the same thing.

Using other resources

• See the Family studies kit.
• Check out the Statistics Canada Website to find lesson plans, articles and data for elementary and secondary schools. There are more than 150 lesson plans for high school classes, many articles, E-STAT access and other data.

Educators

You may photocopy "Lesson plan" or any item or article in Canadian Social Trends for use in your classroom.

Please e-mail comments or examples of how you used this exercise in your class.