Almost every society has certain traditional ideas about marriage. For example, most societies expect men and women to marry. Most cultures also have traditions about the role and duties of a husband and a wife. Traditionally, the husband is expected to earn a living, and the wife is expected to keep house and raise children.Many Americans did not follow traditional marriage patterns. For example, a large number of married couples share responsibilities that have been traditionally handled by either the husband or the wife. An increasing number of married women have paying jobs and help support their families financially. In 1940, about 15 percent of all married women earned money. In the early 1990s, about 60 percent held a full- or part-time job. More and more husbands share responsibilities traditionally handled by women, such as cooking, doing housework, and caring for children.On the average, men and women stay single longer than they once did. In 1950s, men married at an average age of 23, and women married at an average age of 20. By the mid-1990s, the average marriage age was about 26.5 for men and about 24.5 for women.An increasing number of people choose not to marry. If a man and a woman wish to avoid marriage, they may decide to live together with no formal obligations to each other. This arrangement is more common among young adults, but some couples of all ages live together without marrying.

All Americans would like to follow the traditional marriage patterns.

The number of married women with a paying job to support their families financially is increasing.

Most societies expect men and women to marry and have traditions about the role and duties of a husband and a wife.

In the early 1990s, about 15 percent held a full- or part-time job.

More and more Americans choose to live together without marriage.