Marriage patterns have shifted over the years with fewer people getting married, but those who do are more likely to have successful marriages. Despite the outdated belief that 50% of marriages end in divorce, the divorce rate has actually been decreasing and is currently around 30%. People are now marrying later in life and after achieving economic independence, leading to a higher success rate in marriages. This change in marriage dynamics has led to an increase in the quality of marriages while the quantity of marriages is at an all-time low, indicating that people now marry only when they are confident it will work.