Which change is observed in marital status among African Americans in this period?

Which change is observed in marital status among African Americans in this period?

• A. Divorced and separated individuals occupy a much larger percentage today
• B. Cohabitants now account for some of the population that was considered married in the late 1800s
• C. Divorce rates have declined
• D. Marriage rates have remained constant

Answer: (A)

Marital status among African Americans shows more dissolution in the modern period. The key idea is that the share of people who are divorced or separated is larger today than in earlier times. In the late 1800s, marriages tended to be longer-lasting, with fewer divorces and different social expectations about marriage. Since the mid– to late–twentieth century, divorce and separation rose due to a mix of factors—greater economic independence for women, broader acceptance of divorce, and the spread of no-fault divorce laws—so a larger portion of the African American population is divorced or separated now. This makes the option about a much larger percentage of divorced and separated individuals the best description of the observed change. The other statements don’t fit the overall pattern: divorce rates haven’t declined in the period, marriage rates haven’t stayed constant, and while cohabitation has increased, the question is about changes in formal marital status, which is captured most directly by the rise in divorce and separation.

Marital status among African Americans shows more dissolution in the modern period. The key idea is that the share of people who are divorced or separated is larger today than in earlier times. In the late 1800s, marriages tended to be longer-lasting, with fewer divorces and different social expectations about marriage. Since the mid– to late–twentieth century, divorce and separation rose due to a mix of factors—greater economic independence for women, broader acceptance of divorce, and the spread of no-fault divorce laws—so a larger portion of the African American population is divorced or separated now. This makes the option about a much larger percentage of divorced and separated individuals the best description of the observed change. The other statements don’t fit the overall pattern: divorce rates haven’t declined in the period, marriage rates haven’t stayed constant, and while cohabitation has increased, the question is about changes in formal marital status, which is captured most directly by the rise in divorce and separation.