All of the above. A 1999 survey reports that a long-term first marriage has now become a status symbol. The 2000 U. S. Census will drop the question on marital status on the universal form. No one knows. Men are better off married.
Women are better off single.
Community Marriage Policies invite the clergy in a community to band together and refuse to marry any couple they have not properly prepared. Funding efforts are in place with plans to launch pilot programs across the country in the coming year. The concept has received Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim support but the denominations have been unable to agree on the definition of adequate marriage preparation. An interfaith council is meeting and will announce new guidelines at the Smart Marriages conference in July. What distinguishes the couples that succeed from those that fail is not the content or number of their disagreements but how they handle them.