I have a file that I add to anytime I come across an interesting article, website, person, etc that relates to one of the topics I may write about. Of course I have many references to shidduchim/singlehood. Recently I came across an amazing study which was also written about in this op-ed:
New research…shows that many anxiety-provoking beliefs about the shidduch system are not actually true. The data [Dr. Yosef Sokol] gathered and analyzed tell a different story…
“All in all, when it comes down to getting married which is what most people are worried about, the data shows that girls are getting married. The data simply doesn’t support that fear-inducing statement that 20% or 10% of girls will never get married,” said Sokol.
I think we all kind of intuitively knew that something was really, really off with the math…
Reference:
Sokol, Y., Rosenbach, N., Rosensweig, C., Levin, C., Hubner, S., & Schechter, I. (2022). Examining Average Age at First Marriage within Orthodox Judaism: A Large Community‐Based Study. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 61(3-4), 710-725.
Wow. I don’t know WHERE you find this stuff, but it’s a big chizuk to hear. I should click on the link but for now I’m taking your word for it.
I found the research article in Google Scholar and a friend sent me the opinion piece a day or two later!