COVID-19 surprisingly led to a decrease in Marriage Rate
The Covid-19 Pandemic has taken a toll on the world’s economy, health system, and the social
interaction between people. Couples were stuck together everyday with no room for self-
isolation or opportunities to pursue their own hobbies or dreams. Tensions rise as unemployment
sores, economy crashing, loved ones dying or getting sick, and household chores building up.
Many couples, now stuck together and having to face challenges, decided that they will not
marry each other or would postpone the ceremony. Marriage rates plummeted significantly
during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as some couples decided to split and go on their own
ways while other couples decided to stop and contemplate whether getting married during the
pandemic is the right choice.
Marriage Rates around the states in US
The United States was in a lockdown during the early parts of the pandemic, and many
government offices were closed to the public as officials were scrambling to devise plans to
ensure the health of general public. The lockdown measures were designed to protect the health
of citizens but inadvertently also led to decrease in marriage rates.
According to a research by Bowling Green State University, only about 58.5k couples in Florida
got married in 2020 while the prediction was 87.4k. That is about a 30k dropped in marriage
ceremonies or 34% decrease in the marriage Rates. In Oregon, only 13.4k couples got married in
2020.
United States’ marriage rate has been decreasing throughout the years, but the pandemic has
contributed to an even more significant decrease.
Lessons from the decrease in marriage rate
The decrease in marriage rate during the pandemic paints a picture that some couples are not
ready to get married even though they thought they were. The younger generation tend to marry
at a later age now or not even have a wedding ceremony. Some couples believe that the
pandemic led each other to see the problems that were avoided for not being married. The
pandemic has truly led many people reexamine their relationships and reflect whether their
significant other is the true one.