I'll admit, I am not the kind of girl that has planning her dream wedding since the age of eight like most other girls. It just wasn't in the cards for me and it hasn't changed as I grow up. When brought into conversion most people ask why, I'll come up with some excuse but truthfully I don't have an answer for you.

I used to think that not wanting to be married made me the odd one out. However studies have shown a decrease in marriage rates within millennials. According to a study done by Time (magazine?) (which you can read herehttp://time.com/3422624/report-millennials-marriag...) the percentage of Americans who are older then 25 and are still single has gone up 11% between 1960 and 2012.

The question is why though? Why are young Americans not wanting to follow the words of Beyoncé and put a ring on it?

The results of the study show that the three main reasons those under 25 haven't married yet is because they 1) haven't found the one, 2) do not think they are finically stable, or 3) just simply aren't ready to settle down quite yet.

All seem like perfectly good reasons right? I mean I would hope you want to settle down with the right one once you both think you have a good source of income, any sane person would.

So why are millennials constantly getting being criticized for it? Millennials get criticized more then any other generation. Their generation is stereotyped for being lazy and rude, entitled but intelligent. And now they are being told when the appropriate time to be married is.

The truth is being a young American nowadays is a completely different reality of what it was twenty, thirty or even fifty years ago. My grandparents didn't grow up with majority of the things I'm exposed too. Back then sex outside of marriage wasn't common, teen pregnancies were rare, there were no disputes over same sex marriages, gender neutral bathrooms were never a thought. It was a different time. You could buy a gallon of milk for seventy-five cents; cost of living was cheaper.

It makes since. If those things are changing, why wouldn't there be a change in when young people get married.

Another big factor that scares people away is the divorce rate. Throwback to the 1950's when divorce was rare and only 19% of the marriages in America ended in divorce. As of 2016 you had a 50/50 shot at your first marriage.

50% chance of divorce for a first marriage and your chance of divorce only increases for every marriage after that.

I'm aware things happen and that there may not be another option, but a few millennials will look at only the numbers and are not willing to take that risk of being heartbroken. The point is, society shouldn't be putting the pressure on those you aren't married and having kids before their twenty-fifth birthday. A person will marry when they feel they are truly ready for it.

So the next time you think of asking a young twenty-something year old why they haven't settled down yet, consider the fact that maybe they are still searching for themselves and not their significant other just yet.