Millennials are changing the shape of marriage

Millennials are changing the shape of marriage

Millennials can be perceived negatively, being accused of wanting instant gratification from many areas of life and using social media extensively,

However, one area that they are shaping is marriage, and it looks like this could be mainly positive.

Cautious

Many millennials may be children of divorce. Therefore, they are more likely to fear going through divorce themselves.

They take their time when committing to relationships; they live together before marriage; and they are more likely to sign prenups.

Could we see a downward trend in divorce rates return?

As a result, in the US, there appears to be a downward trend in divorce rates. We mention this, the UK often follows trends from the US.

In fact, there was an increase seen in 2018 figures (as posted previously), but there may be a different reason for that.

Debt

Some millennials wait until debts are cleared and they feel financially successful before embarking on marriage.

With weddings being costly, this is a wise economic decision.

Getting married older

A UK wedding planning website, Bridebook, found that in 2017 the average age of brides and grooms was 8 years older than in the 1970s.

The majority of couples now live together before even deciding to marry. Homeowning is now seen as a step towards marriage.

No marriage at all

Some millennials are deciding to not marry at all.

Many reasons could account for this.

But, sometimes, living together and having children is prioritised over marriage. Then, when it comes to setting money aside for a marriage, it seems hard to do so.

Some falsely believe they may be legal protected when living together, but presently there is little legal protection.

Don’t fall foul of the Common Law Marriage myth!