Millennials on Marriage and Divorce

Millennials are doing many things differently to the generations before them. They have different attitudes towards work, money, and relationships as well that manifest in different behaviors. In particular, they have another approach to marriage, romantic relationships, and separation than other generations.

The first trend that has become evident in regards to millennials and marriage is that many are not committing to it until later in life, and a lot are not getting married at all. While baby boomers and members of other generations would commit earlier in life, millennials often don't see the need to formalize their relationships. They might live together with their partners but they are not rushing to church.

Why Millennials Delay Marriage

Why can we see this trend? There are several reasons. Firstly, many millennials are focused on their careers and professional growth, not to mention on finding financial stability. Student loans, a lack of one's own housing, and troubles securing a well-paid position often keep people from this generation more focused on the work parts of life. A wedding might be perceived as an event that requires  a lot of investment, and, in addition, many millennials are not certain that marriage would improve and not worsen their situation financially. 

Secondly, many don't see the reason to make their relationship formal. They live together or meet up, and that seems enough for the time being. A marriage may be perceived as a bigger commitment to be made later in life or when they are sure they have found the right person. Now, it's true that this is a trend, and many millennials are in committed, married relationships but there is definitely a shift in the average age at which people are tying the knot. 

Finally, there is the issue of kids. Millennials approach this decision with more care and caution. A lot of people in this generation choose not to have kids for financial, emotional, and even political reasons (do I have the right to bring a child into a world like this?) or if they do want kids, they put off their birth as well. This approach also means that many millennials don't see that much of a need to get married because they don't plan on having kids, so the hassle doesn't seem worth it.

Millennials and Divorce

This trend has led to a dropping divorce rate among this generation, interestingly enough, because people are waiting more and getting married less. However, in practical terms, millennials also show different attitudes towards getting divorced or breaking up.

For many, a  romantic relationship is only right when it is satisfying, and it might not always be worth it to try and fix it. This means that millennials might be breaking up when they are unhappy rather than working on improving it  or to fix it. It is facilitated  by the fact that millennials are more likely to live together or date and not get married, which makes splitting up easier. However, it also means that this decision can be easier to make. 

There are two sides to this. On one hand, people from this generation are less likely to stay in toxic relationships or put up with abusive or emotionally neglectful behaviors once they start appearing in the relationship. They are more willing to try again with another person. On the other hand, this means that they are more likely to find themselves in a string of short-term relationships that are abandoned for different reasons, not always significant ones. Often, people find it easier to go find someone else rather than work on resolving their issues. Even if they do get married, this tendency might continue to affect their marriage and make them less likely or willing to try to make it work.

So, the general tendency that we see with millennials is putting off marriage and being less likely to tie the knot overall. Many people engage in short-term relationships looking for the right person, which means that they may be more likely to call it quits instead of trying to make it work. This, like all things, has its upsides and downsides, in particular, meaning that many millennials invest less time and effort in their relationships and are more likely to break up when something isn't working.

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