What marriage means to Millennials now is drastically different than what marriage meant to the Baby Boomer generation. Statistics show that fewer young people are getting married and many are getting married later in life. Millennials are an individualized generation, and what marriage means could have multiple definitions — depending on who you ask.
To define marriage from the Millennial’s perspective, let’s look at a few reasons why marriage rates for this generation are down.
They haven’t found the right person.
Millennials have grown up around an unattractive divorce rate. Choosing who you want to spend the rest of your life with takes time. Why rush it? It’s not that Millennials are opposed to marriage, but it might not be the right time. Millennials are fresh out of college and trying to establish themselves professionally. Being 23 is exciting, challenging and fun. Throw a wedding into the mix, and who knows. That’s not to say there aren’t perfectly happy 25-year-old married couples around the world, but it must have been the right person at the right time. The typical pressure to find your life partner is just not the same in 2016.
They aren’t financially stable.
Millennials see being financially stable as a prerequisite for marriage, rather than seeing tying the knot as a stepping stone to better economic stability. In a report based on census data, millennials are 32 percent more likely to be married if their income is above $75,000 than if their income was more in the middle range income of $30,000 or more. Those who are more well-off might find marriage more attractive financially than romantically. For those lower earners, there are many more important things to them than getting married right now — like being able to have a social life without going bankrupt.
They’re not ready to settle down.
Settling down means buying a house and raising a family, right? Well, what if you’re unmarried and burdened by student loan debt? The thought of taking out a mortgage and purchasing a home sounds terrifying. According to an article by NPR, in recent decades, the proportion of households between the ages of 20 and 35 who have never been married was about 30 percent. In the 2010 census, it was twice that, which is a huge change.
The causes for low marriage rates among Millennials are just a start to understanding this complex generation. Include the fact that Generation Y is less religious and more secular, and the definition of marriage continues to change. But I can say, as a Millennial in a committed relationship burdened by student debt and big dreams, marriage is taking a back seat — for now at least.
