Free Essay Example: Marriage Apocalypse and How It Affects the U.S. Society

The world and technology are changing, and so are the ways, ideas, and opinions about marriage. Millennials and Generation Z consider the apocalypse of marriage as an option as they envision an America virtually free, with every individual being single happily. Currently, people tend to be afraid of marriage even though they have not experienced it because they fear being heartbroken and wasting time, and resources with the wrong partner. According to Arnett (2015), more than 80% of youths in America fear marriage as they showcase independence due to gender equality. Arnett (2015) depicts that during an interview with journalism students at the University of California, only a handful of the students accepted being in marriage in the future as they admired their parents. However, the rest of the students were against marriage, and their thoughts differed depending on their life experiences. Arnett (2015) also illustrates that he hated most students’ answers, not because he knew their story or how they felt about marriage, but because of how simple it was for the students to toss marriage to the side. For instance, Arnett (2015) narrates that one student claimed that she could not spend thousands on a single wedding, she would rather go to Disney World or Singapore for alone-time vacation. Therefore, marriage in our society is now seen as a tragic choice to make in life as new generations see it as a tragic lifetime incident instead of looking at it the way old generations did (as something beautiful and necessary to experience in life). Moreover, the new generations of millennials and Generation Z are enchanted with the marriage-free idea to avoid all the costs and responsibilities that marriage comes with. The action is leading to a big change in American society, which might result in severe consequences regarding the morals of marriage in the U.S.

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Marriage is not seen as necessary in future generations. Most young couples opt to live together and put off marriage for later; to find “Mr. and Mrs. Right.” According to Barkho (2016), approximately 30% of unmarried young adults live with their partners but do not have the intention of being tied in marriage. Marriage has lost a lot of its social allure but remains the desired milestone for about 60% of millennials and Generation Z. The depicted generations say they would wish to marry, but most people, especially those with lower levels of education and income, lack what people deem to be an essential prerequisite: a solid economic foundation. In contrast to the past patterns, when adults in every socio-economic group married at approximately the same rate, today’s marriage is more prevalent among people with more education and higher incomes. Additionally, Barkho (2016) showcases that fewer millennials who choose to marry are a mirror of the modern social attitudes that reject the culture or institution as outdated. The current generation depicts that it is time to embrace new ideas and opinions regarding family and romance – and acknowledge traditional marriage ends as the highest ideal of society. Nevertheless, Barkho (2016) depicts that public disenchantment with marriage is mirrored in numerous national surveys. 50% of American adults believe that society is and will be well-off if individuals have priorities other than children and marriage.

Marriage-free is a new tendency in young generations. Most millennials and Generation Z test-drive their nuptials before deciding on what is supposed to be a lifetime commitment. According to Patton et al. (2016), marriage offers numerous unquestionable benefits but the current generation sees the opposite. Patton et al. (2016) postulate that “instead of having only a choice of marrying the same old way, or not marrying, people should consider marital options that will suit them, including a short-term union of trial for younger couples, a socially acceptable life other than arrangement, or a child-rearing marriage for people who would like to be not more than co-parents.” Moreover, Patton et al. (2016) illustrate that when millennials are compared to the silent generation, millennials are thrice as likely to never get married as the silent generation or their grandparents were. Statistics of the primary reasons why they fear getting married include 30% feeling that they are not yet financially stable or ready, 25% having not yet found someone with the desired or right qualities, and 27% feeling that they are still too young to settle down. These actions make them marry at a much older age (Patton et al., 2016).

According to the current generation, marriage comes with numerous responsibilities and they are trying to avoid them. Since the current generation is obsessed with technology, the internet, and luxurious life, they do not prioritize marriage because once they commit, their lifestyle must change. For instance, there will be no more nightlife, and a couple’s social life will always be lessened as they will always be concerned about setting relevant life priorities (Costello, 2015). Also, the family expenses and budget that must be met will increase in case they have children. Finances are also often a concern before getting married and couples or partners should consider if they can finance their marriage (Costello, 2015). Young adults fear spending their income on the wrong partners and would rather take vacations and treat themselves so as not to feel the pain of overspending or sharing finances with the wrong partner. Nonetheless, household responsibilities might be a concern as men and women will be expected to play different roles in house chores and financing the family needs (Costello, 2015). Even though there is always gender equality, some norms and traditions are still valued; men's and women's roles regarding marriage stand. The action makes the current generation fear commitment as they will always have an excuse of “not being ready.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, marriage is an apocalypse to the current generation as many do not prefer committing themselves. The same generation does not see marriage as necessary in the future, prefers a marriage-free tendency, and fears the responsibilities that are related to marriage and creating a family. Currently, people tend to be afraid of marriage even though they have not experienced it because they fear being heartbroken and wasting time, and resources with the wrong partner. The action makes them get married at a late age as opposed to the silent generation who valued marriage and would prefer to get married at an early age. Thus, one can depict that today’s marriage is fading and not valued as the current generation tends to be self-centered and prioritize their lives more.

References

Arnett, J. J. (2015). High hopes in a grim world: Emerging adults' views of their futures and “Generation X”. Youth & Society, 31(3), 267-286. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X00031003001

Barkho, G. (2016). Why are millennials putting off marriage? Let me count the ways. The Washington Post. https://ezproxy.scottsdalecc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1794295482?accountid=227

Costello, C., (2015). Ready for the Marriage Apocalypse? CNN Business. https://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/07/opinions/costello-marriage-millennials/index.html

Patton, G. C., Sawyer, S. M., Santelli, J. S., Ross, D. A., Afifi, R., Allen, N. B., ... & Kakuma, R. (2016). Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing. The Lancet, 387(10036), 2423-2478. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(16)00579-1/fulltext