The Center says its report looks at survey data analyzed from the University of Michigan.
David Closson is the Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council.
“They show declining desire among high school girls for marriage and children, while with boys, interest has remained relatively stable and steady."
Closson said he thinks this reflects a broader cultural trend of delayed marriage and declining birth rate.
He said he thinks the most significant question is girls’ interest. Why is it declining? Four thoughts come to mind.
“No. 1 is the cultural messaging. I think young women for the last 20 years or so have consistently been told that career, success, and independence must come before or even instead of family life. So, again, I'm a millennial, and I know women my age have been told, kind of the girl boss culture, and that they feel that to actually be successful, they don't need a man, and they can be independent, and that's most important."
Number two, he said, is another issue involving messaging.
“Many girls, I think, see marriage and motherhood betrayed in the culture as limiting and burdensome or risky. I think they see this in social media spaces, and I think some are buying into that."
The family breakdown that has occurred over the last couple of decades is another consideration.
"We have fewer stable marriages today, and I think fewer stable marriages in society means there are fewer positive models of marriage for girls to look up to.”
He also thinks women in particular might have 'gender-specific' pressures around finance and education, which might make family formation feel harder.
And the most important reason, he said: the underlining worldview issue.
“We have shifted from a culture that saw marriage and children as gifts from God to one that really treats marriage and children as optional lifestyle accessories. The sexual revolution has taught several generations now that self-fulfillment is the highest good, that relationships really do exist to serve personal happiness. I think all of this is part of it."
Closson said he thinks the church needs to "be intentional about teaching a theology of marriage and family".
He added that marriage is not an obstacle to fulfillment. Closson said the truth is marriage is one of God's primary ways of giving people companionship, stability, and joy.
