The debate on family values, the role of the family, and the affect of family on society is no longer an issue centered in religions institutions. Family has become a favorite issue for political debate and is used to identify various candidates. A look at recent history indicates that many of the issues discussed and held in high esteem are relatively new entries in family traditions.

The phenomenon of single adults began with the baby boomer generation, individuals born between 1946 and 1964, as singleness was increasingly accepted. Single adults represent almost 40 percent of the population of those over 18 years of age. In 1993, these 73 million adults almost doubled the 37.5 million single adults of 1970 while the married population decreased from 71.7 percent to 58.1 percent.

The increasing number of never-married men, up 60 percent since 1970, has resulted in what some statisticians call the "bachelor boom." A declining birth rate since 1957 and the tendency of older men to marry younger women are two contributing factors to the bachelor boom. Among women in their late twenties and early thirties, those never-married more than tripled between 1970 and 1994. The percentage more than doubled for women between the age 35 to 39. Never-married persons account for 23 percent of all adults.

The following is a brief overview of American society since 1950, identifying changes that affected families and set the stage for a new phenomenon called single adults.

The expanding post-war economy of the 1950s had a great affect on people's lives. Men returning from war needed to regain their positions in the workplace. Their return resulted in newsreels and movies depicting women back in the home and doing their patriotic duty of rearing children and baking apple pies. The expanding economy created a workplace ripe for advancement and stability. The social structure of men working and women tending the family almost became a universal ideal. This structure placed the financial responsibility squarely on the shoulders of men, thus making marriage almost a necessity for women. Men were expected to marry regardless of their fears about accepting financial responsibility. By 1957, 96 percent of Americans of marriageable age were married.

The 1950s emphasis on marriage was a new phenomenon. Television, another new entry, supported and promoted family values through shows such as "Leave It to Beaver", "Ozzie and Harriet", and "Father Knows Best". Other programs such as "I Love Lucy", "The Honeymooners", and "The Life of Riley", depicted the upward mobility and/or desires to raise their social class.

Societal emphasis on marriage and family caused single adults to feel ostracized from mainstream society. These feelings were reinforced by pop psychology that described single women as "biological inferiors and discards who do not offer good matrimonial prospects". Descriptors for men were equally uncomplimentary. Emotional immaturity and infantile fixations were seen as the root causes of bachelorhood.

The 1960s decade was affected by volatile issues. The United States grieved the assassination of a young president. The build-up of armed forces in Vietnam lead to a war where the issues were confused and unclear. Protests became a common occurrence during the later part of this decade. Scenes of the killings at Kent State are engraved on many minds. The racial inequalities of the 1950s demanded attention. The women's movement came to the front with the publication of The Feminine Mystique. Women entered the workforce as financial restraints demanded more money or a revised lifestyle.

Individuals started spending significant portions of time away from families. A sizeable single adult population developed. With few role models, this population segment developed its own value structure and set of mores. Although somewhat liberated from the 1950s counterpart, single adults continued to feel alienation from mainstream society.

The shift away from family and the increasing single adult population started in the 60s and continued through the 70s. The single adult population increased, due in part to the increasing divorce rate. The increasing number of divorces added another dimension--single parents. The need to minister to individuals whose lives were affected by divorce caused churches to begin Divorce Recovery Programs--the beginning of Single Adult Ministries.

The values and mores of society experienced little improvement during the 1980s. Although the economy in the United States began to recover, it did not raise the living standards for everyone. There was a widening gap between the" haves" and "have-nots."

The largest segment of single adults settled in the urban centers during the decade of the 90s. With the increasing single adult population and rising divorce rate, single adults continued to feel alienation from the larger society. Role models were still lacking. Baby-boomer single adults, especially never-married adults, continued to blaze new trails as they entered middle age and gave serious thought to retirement years.

Employment opportunities provided challenges. The lower salaries received by single women placed many of them in the uncomfortable position of being unable to fully support themselves. Because there were no traditional family ties to consider, employers began to view single adults as more likely candidates for job transfers. This viewpoint downplayed the significance of the social network of single adults and the role of friends in their lives. The friendship network of single adults is as important, and for some individuals more, as family ties. Work, church, and family, however, frequently failed to treat these networks as important or valuable.

Consider these thoughts from Schwartzberg, et. al. regarding the religious community's acceptance of single adults.

The lack of sensitivity to the needs of single people can also be seen in church communities. Although more and more religious institutions, particularly in urban areas, are becoming aware of their single members, few are aware of what single people require to feel included.

When the rhythm of formal religious life is centered around marriage and birth, single people experience themselves on the outside of life's important events. The more single people feel that their needs are not reflected by the institutions in which they participate, the more they feel peripheral to society. People may not be immediately aware of how much this sense of marginality affects their well-being.

Singleness has become a part of the culture. Books, television programs, and packaged food cater to the needs of single adults. The need for validation as "complete people and to participate fully in the institutions of society" remains unmet. Until singleness is viewed as an equally viable lifestyle as marriage, many single adults will continue to feel as marginalized members of society.