Mar 152013
Image credit: Leland
You say Generation Y. I say Millennials. Po-TAY-toe. Po-TAH-toe. Research shows us folks born in the very late 1970s / early 1980s are calling the whole “traditional” marriage thing off:
- Barely half of all American adults are married, a precipitating downward trend tied to both culture and economics.
- Millennials care more about being a babymama or babydaddy than a bride or groom.
- U.S. Census charts show us the average age at first marriage is rapidly climbing to 30.
- Approximately 15% of marriages comprise spouses of differing races/ethnicities.
Hear global voices from Denmark, Kenya, Brazil, Spain, Singapore, the UK and elsewhere in MTV Voices‘ teen video about matrimony. What’s the best age to marry? Is marriage outdated? Listen to opinions in Global Newscast – Young And Married.
I guess I’m not surprised to hear some of the comments from young people on marriage, especially in other countries. Seems lifelong commitment is becoming a foreign concept to the younger generations (if not also the older generations, based on divorce rates). It would be interesting to have a poll comparing attitudes toward marriage by age and country.
Pamela Druckerman wrote a book about attitudes toward infidelity by country, “Lust In Translation.” Great read.
I think marriage is a state sanctioned function. It’s all in the states eyes. What happened to just loving your partner and being together?
I believe that’s something that can happen with or without marriage.