Is Marriage Becoming Obsolete?

Recently, I reached my quarter century, and having been with my partner for almost four years, I noticed that I started to get even more questions about my ‘impending’ nuptials.

Having not given any thought to it at all, I have to wonder, is marriage becoming obsolete?

Well, the numbers suggest that maybe it isn’t. While divorce rates remain pretty steady, marriage rates have slightly increased in Australia in the past few years. However, among young people, there is a growing feeling that marriage might not be worth pursuing. So what is it turning them off it? Well, here’s why we think marriage isn’t as attractive as it used to be.

1. It Can Be Super Expensive

These days, it seems cost of living is only getting higher compared to wages. Add into that the fact that more young people are suffering with unemployment and underemployment, and it should be no surprise that weddings aren’t at the forefront of people’s minds. Weddings can be enormously expensive, and couples who are starting out together might be more interested in putting together money for a property or a holiday than for a wedding party.

2. It’s A Massive Hassle

If you think a wedding is only really a wedding if it goes off with a bang, that’s fine. But, those weddings tend to be more work to organise and pull off. For the bride and groom-to-be, this means balancing their wishes for the perfect day with the sheer logistics of that. You’ve got the venue, the food, the outfits, the flowers, the other decorations, the band. It all adds up to one big hassle.

via GIPHY

3. They’re Doing It For Others

Many young couples are quite happy living together out of matrimony, and only embark on the process of getting married to please relatives or to satisfy old traditions. Well, that’s not any reason to get married! When couples feel that the only reason they should get married is because of pressure from others, they’re more likely to push back against the idea of marriage than to embrace it.

4. People Are Already Committed

In decades past, it wasn’t socially acceptable for couples to sleep together or even live together if there wasn’t a promise of marriage at the forefront of their relationship. Now, we look at relationships in a totally different way. Most couples live together before getting married, some for years. Some unmarried couples share assets, pets, children and bank accounts. There isn’t much separating them from married couples except the piece of paper and the ring, which might explain why people aren’t that worried about marriage.

via GIPHY

Next Page: More Reasons Why People Might Not Be Interested In Getting Married

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Marriage