千禧一代成万能“背锅侠”，连离婚率下降都要怪他们了！ Twitter erupts over claim that millennials have 'ruined divorce' because they are marrying later than previous generations

最新公布的调查数据显示，2008年到2016年间，美国离婚率下降了18%。这本是一个好消息，但有专家指出，这是千禧一代晚婚甚至不婚导致的。社交媒体用户们纷纷吐槽，千禧一代为各种产业发展和传统习俗背锅已不少，这又要继续背锅了！

These days, every time another industry starts to suffer or a long-held tradition begins to decline, the change is blamed on millennials.

如今，只要每次有哪个行业下滑，或者一项长期的传统日渐式微，千禧一代都要出来背锅。

Millennials have been blamed for killing everything from home ownership to casual dining restaurants to golf, but now they're getting credit for 'killing' something that's generally considered a bad thing, anyway: divorce.

从自置居所、休闲餐厅到高尔夫，人们责怪千禧一代限制了太多领域的发展，但如今，人们普遍认为不是好事的“离婚”也被千禧一代“干掉了”。

And they're certainly gloating. Twitter users have reacted to the news with glee, sharing funny, tongue-in-cheek tweets about millennials' role in plummeting divorce rates.

千禧一代当然有些幸灾乐祸。推特用户们在网上分享半开玩笑的有趣推文，谈论千禧一代对离婚率下降的影响，幽默地回应这一新闻。

New research shows that the US divorce rate dropped 18 percent from 2008 to 2016.

最新调查显示，从2008年到2016年，美国离婚率下降了18%。

And according to analysis of US Census data by University of Maryland sociology professor Philip Cohen, that's all thanks to millennials, as well as younger members of Generation X.

根据美国马里兰大学社会学教授菲利普-科恩对美国人口普查数据的分析，这要归咎于千禧一代和X世代中的年轻人。

According to the Pew Research Center, millennials are those who were born between 1981 and 1996, making them 22 to 37 years old.

根据皮尤研究中心的数据，千禧一代指的是出生于1981年至1996年间的人，如今年龄在22岁到37岁。

Cohen explained that millennials are waiting longer than Baby Boomers to tie the knot, and as such, have become less likely to divorce.

科恩解释说，与婴儿潮一代相比，千禧一代结婚更晚，所以离婚率也有所下降。

When the new data was published earlier this week, social media users found the news promising — but also particularly funny, in light of the trend of blaming millennials for industries that have died off.

最新数据在本周早些时候公布时，社交媒体用户觉得这一新闻还不错，但也非常搞笑，因为千禧一代一直在为一些产业的消亡背锅。

'Typical millennials, ruining another sacred institution with their avocado toasts and commitment to stable relationships,' quipped NBC News reporter Alex Seitz-Wald.

全美广播公司新闻记者亚历克斯-塞茨-瓦尔德打趣地说：“典型的千禧一代用他们的牛油果吐司和对稳定婚恋关系的承诺，毁掉了另一个神圣的制度（离婚）。”

'God damn millennials are ruining divorce!' tweeted Sarah Shower.

推特用户萨拉-肖尔说：“天啦，千禧一代毁掉了离婚！”

'Millennials are ruining divorce??? What's next? Poverty? Stigmatized mental health issues?? Racism!??? This is a slippery slope people,' added another user sarcastically.

另一名用户嘲讽地说：“千禧一代毁掉了离婚？接下来还要毁掉什么？消除贫困？受污蔑的精神健康问题？还是种族主义？真是越来越糟的一代。”

'Little shocking that bloomberg didn’t phrase this as like “millennials are ruining divorce lawyers’ retirement plans” or some s***' tweeted someone else.

还有人发推特说：“彭博社没有把这句话说成‘千禧一代毁掉了离婚律师的退休计划’等等，这还是让我有点小震惊。”

According to Professor Cohen, the shrinking divorce rate is due in large part to younger people waiting longer to get married in the first place.

科恩教授说，首先，离婚率下降很大程度上是因为年轻人结婚更晚。

By the time many say 'I do' these days, they've already gotten their education, careers, and finances in order.

如今在人们结婚时，他们已经把教育、事业和财务状况都理顺了。

Comedian Matt Fernandez quipped: 'New data shows that millennials are lowering the divorce rate because they're waiting until they're financially stable to get married. So I did the math, and that means I should be ready for marriage when I'm 400 years old.'

喜剧演员马特-费尔南德斯打趣说：“最新数据显示，千禧一代降低了离婚率，因为他们要等到经济稳定了再结婚。所以我算了算，这意味着我得到400岁才能结婚。”

Waiting longer means millennials are being choosier, too, dating more and longer before settling on a lifelong partner.

晚婚也表明千禧一代更挑剔，在找到一生的伴侣之前的恋爱时间更长。

'Unlike their parents, millennials aren’t marrying the first Tom, Dick, or Sherry that comes around,' joked one young woman from Chicago.

来自芝加哥的一位年轻女性开玩笑道：“和父母不一样，千禧一代并不是刚遇见随便一个什么人就结婚了。”

Evidence suggests other reasons for the change, too, including that many young couples are putting off marriage in favor of simply cohabitating long term.

一些证据也揭示了离婚率下降的其他原因，包括很多年轻的情侣赞同长期同居，延迟了结婚。

Explained the Wall Street Journal's Christopher Mims, 'Good news: Millennials are much less likely to get divorced. Bad news: Because marriage is becoming less common and the privilege of the well-off, who were always less likely to divorce anyway.'

《华尔街日报》的克里斯多夫-米慕斯说：“好消息：千禧一代离婚的少了。坏消息：因为结婚的人更少了，婚姻成了富人的特权，而这些人离婚的可能性本来就不大。”

And for some, it seems, the option to divorce is in itself too costly.

对一些人来说，离婚这一选择看上去成本太高了。

'People are surprised that millennials are forcing the divorce rate to plummet like we can financially afford to build a life up together with someone else,' wrote one person on Twitter. 'LOL sorry you said till death and we have loans and a shared Netflix.'

“千禧一代迫使离婚率下降，人们还感到奇怪，就好像我们能负担得起两个人的生活似的。这太好笑了，很抱歉的是，你们还曾说过，直到死亡把我们分开，可是我们还要一起还贷款，还在共享网飞账号呢。”

Cohen told DailyMail.com that another reason for the decline in divorce is that Americans 'don’t feel pressured to marry before they have sex, have children or live together.'

科恩告诉每日邮报网站说，美国离婚率下降的另一原因是人们“在性生活、生儿育女或者同居之前，感受不到结婚的压力。”

The median age for marriage in 1968 was 23 for men and 21 for women, but by 2017 those numbers shifted to age 30 for men and 27 for women, according to Pew Research Center.

根据皮尤研究中心的数据，1968年，美国人的平均结婚年龄为男性23岁，女性21岁。而2017年，这一年龄为男性30岁，女性27岁。

As divorce rates have declined for younger people, they have increased among people in their 60s and 70s. The divorce rate doubled among Americans age 55-64 from 1990-2015, and tripled among those age 65 and older during the same period, according to Bowling Green State University's National Center for Family and Marriage Research.

随着年轻人离婚率的下降，六七十岁的老年人离婚率却上升了。博林格林州立大学全国家庭与婚姻研究中心的数据显示，从1990年到2015年，美国55岁到64岁的人群离婚率翻倍，而65岁及以上老年人的离婚率同比增加到三倍。

At the same time, many low-income and under-educated Americans are choosing not to marry at all, instead opting to live together and in many cases raise children together.

与此同时，许多低收入和受教育程度低的美国人干脆选择不结婚，而是选择同居以及合力抚养子女。

In fact, a quarter of parents who live with their children are unmarried, according to Pew Research Center.

根据皮尤研究中心的数据，事实上，有四分之一的和孩子一起生活的父母还未婚。

The rate of unmarried parents has steadily grown since 1968, when only 7 percent were unmarried. By 1987 that rose to 16 percent, and by 1997 it grew to 23 percent. The 2017 data - 25 percent - is the most recent available.

1968年美国的未婚父母比例仅占7%，之后这一比例逐渐增加，到1987年增加到16%，1997年增加到23%。在2017年，这一比例为25%，这已是最新的统计数据。

英文来源：每日邮报

翻译&编辑：yaning