Spotlight
Why Does No One
Want To Get
Married?
Words by Katie Brosnan Page Design by Isla McCormack
I
believe it was Candi Staton who once said, “What is the sense in sharing this one and only life?, ending up just another lost and lonely wife”. And indeed that seems to be the attitude of many young women today when it comes to marriage. The fairytale we were told as little girls of finding our one true love and living happily ever after turned out to be a lie. After all, marriage is not what it used to be when those fairy tales were written. If you wish, you’re allowed to marry as many times as you like (at least in the UK). So why do millennials and Gen Z reject the tradition of marriage so harshly? We live in a desecularized society in the UK, meaning religion is no longer a priority for most in everyday life. This relates directly to how dating and marriage is viewed by younger generations as we no longer have to “wait until marriage” to begin dating or have sex; marriage is simply not as special as it was 100 years ago. Back to Candi Staton - the quote I selected is from her song “Young Hearts Run Free”, which is a song about finding yourself and ensuring you select the right partner before you tie the knot. This attitude is exactly what Gen Z is doing; we’re prioritising ourselves first and having fun. There’s nothing wrong with this approach to love or marriage especially when marriages tend not to last a lifetime anymore. As we’ve grown up, divorce rates have stayed high and many of us have seen our own parents or our friends’ parents get divorced which has contributed to our tendency to stay away from marriage. Another reason millennials and Gen Z are not taking marriage seriously is the state of the world right now. Getting onto the housing market and establishing a successful career are more of a priority for most young people these days and as a result, dating for marriage has largely been set aside. Furthermore, dating apps have made dating less serious - we no longer date to find a partner. We instead date to find whatever is available, whether it is a one-night stand, a uni fling
46