Why Millennials Aren't Getting Married

With everything from hookup culture to poly lifestyles and open relationships, there's an emerging expansion of views on what partnerships can look like.The paradigms are shifting and the old model requiring marriage vows to validate one's relationship doesn't appeal to many Millennials. They were raised with rising divorce rates and broken homes, so they're far less likely to buy into marriage as the best form of relationship for themselves. Add to that the increase in educational costs and debt, and Millennials feel less financially secure, which makes entering into what's considered a binding contract with their significant other far less appealing.

This has led to a desire to exploring more than the outdated 'one method for all' concept that is marriage.

Despite the fact Millennials aren’t getting married or are waiting longer to do so, a survey on relationships from online legal marketplace Avvo found that 42 percent of people believe that marriage is a life goal while 82 percent of Millennials actually disagree that marriage is an “outdated institution.

So, is marriage still important today?

A recent survey of about 1,000 people found that 52 percent of Millennials “strongly agree” that marriage is important to them, and 73 percent think having a happy family scenario is also important.

Commitment is the key, not what it is called. As we see from marriage statistics, being legally married doesn’t guarantee that the couple is dedicated to one another and able to weather storms.

Any relationship is a risk but marriage provides a certain structure. Marriage isn’t a one-size-fits-all entity, though. In reality, it can and should be personalized to the couple.There is no hierarchy in marriage so it is often necessary to challenge why and what we believe in order to forge a mutual path forward. The willingness to do this in our small world allows us to do it in the larger world and this is why most societies have some formal entity like marriage. It provides a sense of stability and order. Marriage may be important to some, but less important for others. Overall, it really doesn’t matter how many Millennials aren’t getting married or why. What really matters is you're happy and content with whatever choice you decide to make.