研一英语教学课件：Lesson 12, Part 2

1、Lesson 12, Part 2: Marriage,Marriage trends in the WestHow old are Westerners, on average, when they get married?,Marriage Trends,Today, many people in Western countries are getting married later in life for example, in Western Europe the average marriage age is now over 30 years old.,Marriage in Am

2、erica,In America the average marriage age for men is 30, and for women it is 27.,Why are people waiting until they are older to get married?,Education,Many people are studying for longer and then taking time to focus on starting their careers. (Source: /wp-content/up

3、loads/2013/03/KnotYet-FinalForWeb.pdf).,Money,Many people want to make progress in their career and save money before they think about marriage or starting a family of their own.,Individuality,People are giving themselves more time to grow and develop as individuals, and waiting until they really fi

4、nd the right person.,In short Marriage seems to mean something different today.,For my grandparents generation, marriage was a basic part of life. In the 21st century, getting married is seen as a serious decision that people think about very carefully.,Another difference from my grandparents genera

5、tion Divorce.,Today, in some Western countries more than half of marriages end in divorce.,So, why do people get divorced?,According to statistics from the US Government, money and education are important factors. Highly-educated couples with enough money to support themselves and their families are

6、 more likely to stay together.(Source: /opub/mlr/2013/article/marriage-and-divorce-patterns-by-gender-race-and-educational-attainment.htm).,Another major factor age.,According to US Government statistics from the past few decadesFor those who got married between the ages of 23 and 2

7、8, 43% got divorced.For those who got married between the ages of 29 and 34, 36% got divorced.For those who got married between the ages of 35 and 40, 23% got divorced.,In the 21st century, people live much longer, and most people grow and change throughout their lives. Therefore, its not surprising

8、 that those who get married very young are more likely to grow apart and get divorced.,Last semester one of my students wrote something interesting in her examshe said: “You have not even found yourself yet, so how can you think you have found your other half?”,In the 21st century there are many dif

9、ferent personalities and perspectives on marriage in the West, and some people never get married at all. It is a much more open society than during my grandparents era.,In fact, marriage in Western countries today is also not always between a man and a woman,Cultural Note,Westerners might be offende

10、d or at least annoyed if you ask a lot of private, personal questions the first time you meet so be careful!,What do you think about marriage trends in the West like people waiting to get married when they are older? Do you think that it will be the same way in China? What about gay people being all

11、owed to get married? Is this strange? Is it progress? Could this happen in China? What about divorce trends? Do you think that more people will get divorced in China in the future?,Discussion,Divorce,Divorce might not always be the worst thing,Its not just in Western countries that couples get divorced,“In East Asian countries, divorce rates have been rising steadily since 1980” Source: “Divorce Trends in Asia,” (2011) ,In Japan, they even have something called “divorce ceremonies”,What about here in China?,“Last year 3.8m couples split, more than double the numbe