A Generation In Transition

Today's generation carries the self-realization of making their own dreams and ambitions their first priority. From witnessing past generations marrying young, a certain enigma was created. Marriage is a sacrifice that not all people want to make, and this commitment threatens independence; making it intimidating to the young people of today. Marriage compromises the self-discovery of a young adult and isolates all other paths for an individual. Marriages shy away the ability to step into our full potential.

Personal Identity

A marriage creates unity, taking away all individuality from a person. This other person draws the individual away from their self-growth. Becoming a societal norm, divorce has made an impact of marriage for our generation. Witnessing our parents, aunts, uncles, other family members go through divorce has damaged the trust of marriage and lost the sense of benefits it had from the first place. This may be a reason as to why millennials are taking longer getting married in the first place. Divorce wastes years and effort for the couple, where millennials have learned how to avoid the situation by being extremely patient or not getting married at all. Altogether, marriage is generally avoided because most do not want to risk their comfortability of independence or security.

"Me Culture"

Self-love and self-confidence are infiltrated into every individual's mind by society. Today's generation has followed this influence, believing the focus on themselves is more important and there is always room for self-growth. Marriage consists of settling down into one path of life, dealing with giving constant reassurance for their significant other and having to focus on their well-being more than your own. Being involved in someone else's life takes away opportunities of self-growth. Decades ago, sex was a bond between two people who were deeply in love and married, but that idea has evolved. Millennials are much more tolerant of premarital sex and the topic is freely talked about more comfortably. Since it is no longer known as a taboo, casual sex is better interpreted with a sex-positive perspective. As well as coinciding with self-growth of exploration and experiences more individualized than known as experiencing together. Today's generation has learned that you don't have to be with someone to be happy and are embedding this mindset into their lives. Happiness, if found while living on your own, self-discovery is key to that development. Young people are not committed and have been influenced by society that marriage will take away all spontaneity ever in their life; redefining the definition of marriage altogether.

Cultural Differences

Some may say that millennials are getting married younger and are more prone to making the same kind of mistakes, however, over fifty percent of millennials have never been married. From 1965, the typical couple would wed, on average, 22. Now, the standard couple would commit at 28, reflecting a shift toward marriage later in life. Millennials are waiting to be financially stable and being certain that the person is right for them. After the increase of divorce rates and broken homes, marriage is not the only commitment the younger generation wants to partake in.

Shifting Cultural Expectations

Marriage isn't a one-size-fits-all entity. Marriage holds different significance for different people based off of their experiences and views. The younger generation has experienced the negative effects marriage has created, building a foundation of whether or not they want to get married. This generation delivers patience through their decisions because it will distract them from their full potential. Millennials are not specifically afraid of commitment, they are shifting the cultural expectations and making wise lifelong decisions.