In the past 40 years, the nation's marriage rate has dropped from three-quarters of American households to slightly over half. Moreover, nearly 50 percent of all U.S. marriages now end in divorce, and the number of households with unmarried couples has risen dramatically. Some scholars say that although traditional marriage will not disappear entirely, it will never again be the nation's pre-eminent social arrangement. In the future, they say, the United States will look more like Europe, where couples increasingly are opting to cohabit rather than marry. But other experts argue that the recent decrease in the divorce rate and other positive trends point to a brighter future for marriage. Meanwhile, actions by a number of state courts and local officials in favor of same-sex unions have helped ignite a debate over the issue and prompted conservatives to push for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

David Masci specializes in social policy, religion and foreign affairs. Before joining CQ Researcher as a staff writer in 1996, he was a reporter at CQ's Daily Monitor and CQ Weekly. He holds a BA in medieval history from Syracuse University and a law degree from The George Washington University.