Marriage has been the cornerstone of a functioning society for centuries, with the family unit being hailed as one of, if not the most important, structures a community or country can have. But what happens when people stop getting married? We can see this happening today with Gen Z and plummeting marriage rates. 

It was once commonplace for adults in their early 20s to marry until the mid-1900s. Now, most people are waiting until their late 20s and early 30s to tie the knot. In 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics, marriage rates fell to their lowest level since 1862.

But the real question is, why is this happening?

Divorce Rates

One of the big factors is the fear of divorce among younger generations. The boomer generation has the highest divorce rate of any living generation, and that has seriously impacted the way their children approach marriage. After younger generations grew up witnessing marriages that were less than aspirational, many hoped to avoid them; this includes Millennials and Gen Z. 

Additionally, after the Divorce Reform Act of 1969, a law which made “no fault” divorce possible, meaning a couple could separate for any reason, caused a spike in the number of marriages ending. Over the past 10 years, marriage rates have been steadily declining. 

Marriage is no longer seen as a permanent commitment, as one spouse can freely leave the relationship whenever they choose. Thus, the serious and binding nature of marriage has been lost. 

Putting Education and Career First

Another potential cause of this trend is that Gen Z is spending more time seeking higher education than previous generations. According to Statista, college enrollment in the United States increased from 12 million in the 1980s to 18.5 million in 2022. Most young people have admitted that they hope to graduate from college, build careers, and attain financial independence before settling down. While older generations saw marriage as a way to build a life together, younger people are generally seeking to build their lives first and find love later. 

Modern Relationships

Many couples are now choosing to live together for several years before marriage. In 2022, 25% of unmarried adults under 30 were cohabiting. Since it is considered less taboo for a couple to live together out of wedlock, there is less of an urgency to marry. Some couples even try sharing pets, almost like parenting an animal rather than a baby. In fact, 70% of unmarried couples share a pet. The practice is essentially a trial-run at marriage and family-building. 

A Pew Research Center study deduced that in 1980, 33% of adults were married by age 21, and 66% were married by age 25 years old. Then, looking back over 4 decades, those statistics have dropped to 6% of adults married by 21 and 22% married by 25. Currently, the average age for men to marry is 30, and for women, 28; fewer than half of people are married compared to the 1990s. 

The differences in men’s and women’s priorities have also impacted modern relationships. According to an NBC poll, men prioritize marriage and starting families significantly more than women. The poll also deduced that political affiliations are very important to Gen Zers when picking a potential spouse. For instance, people who vote Republican value having children more than those who vote Democrat. These differences in outlooks coincide with the recent decline in marriage and birth rates, which historically were commonplace in marriages.   

How This Impacts Families and Communities 

The decline in marriage rates will naturally have consequences on family building and community structures. According to the Institute for Family Studies, women who marry later in life have fewer children, which results in birth rates going down as a whole. Since married couples are more involved in community building and fostering good neighborhoods, that connection has also fallen to the wayside. 

However, Gen Z has been returning to a more traditional lifestyle recently, with a Barna study revealing that most young people still aspire to be married in the future. Additionally, fewer Gen Zers engage in one-night stands than millennials do. 

What Can Be Done? 

Despite the variety of reasons young people are not getting married, this does not change the fact that marriage is integral to the betterment of society. Studies prove that women who marry and have children are happy. And despite declining marriage rates, younger generations do not want to remain single forever; 83% of Gen Z and Millennials hope to eventually tie the knot. 

As the situation has escalated over the years, many professional commentators have spoken out about the issue. For instance, people like Matt Walsh and Tucker Carlson have encouraged people to jump into marriage, “have more children than you can afford,” and tell young people not to overthink it. However, in some cases, that may be easier said than done. 

Some factors that discourage young people from marrying begin very early in life. A 2024 study found that a child’s parents’ marriage significantly affects how happy they are throughout childhood. Children who grow up in two-parent homes are more likely to graduate from college and are less likely to have children young, suffer from depression, or be convicted of a crime. If those children grow up in broken or dysfunctional families, they will not want to repeat that cycle.

The first step to fix the marriage crisis is to remember and reinstate the importance of the family unit. People cannot solely function for the benefit and satisfaction of the self alone. It causes people to become depressed, lonely, and even hopeless. 

The second step is to choose a partner wisely. Jumping into marriage haphazardly for the sake of it is not healthy either. There can be pressure to get married, but it is vital to the sake of the family and an individual’s own personal happiness that their spouse is someone they genuinely want to share a life with, not temporarily, but forever. 

Lastly, couples must prioritize making their husband or wife happy. Being selfish in a marriage is not good for anyone, especially the children. Children who grow up in an unhappy environment will struggle to find happiness for themselves later in life. 

Marriage should not be treated as a burden or a milestone you are expected to reach by a certain age; it should be treated as a gift. A gift that must be maintained and cherished; if not, then more and more people will turn away from it.