Over winter break, I had dinner with friends from high school. Most of them are in long-term relationships, so it was no surprise that marriage came up in conversation. During the break at home, I discovered my ex-boyfriend proposed to his girlfriend of less than a year. Hearing peers tying the knot makes me think about what is expected for my age. Since my ex and I broke up less than a year ago, I felt like I was almost the one tossing the bouquet, which I felt too young to do.
After not having anything to share with my friends in relationships, I’ve been wondering more about dating and marriage. Being surrounded by young brides-and-grooms-to-be, I realized how lucky I am to be young without the stress of wedding planning. Looking at those engaged, the desire for young marriage must be increasing for political and social reasons. The rise of conservative culture is exposing ideas of traditional household operations that bring young people to desire a more traditional life.
A fifth of young adults say marriage is “irrelevant,” which is lower than 20 years ago, with 39% of young adults uninterested in marriage. This shows that young adults now are a bit more keen on marriage.
Younger generations take relationships more seriously, which might cause even a progressive generation to get married young because of the high from young love.
Getting married sooner can be a sign of impulsive decisions as an adolescent. A new study by Nature Communications and later published by the University of Cambridge finds the adolescent era in the brain ends around age 32, yet many are getting married far before this.
Since the “tradwife” movement, young women online are being exposed to a glamorous view of traditional roles. This can be seen as an exposure to conservative values on social media. However, this doesn’t have to be the sole inspiration for young people wanting, or having, to get married, but I do think it will be the reason we see shifts in the coming years.
Halima Jibril wrote an article for Dazed about young people wanting to be married again. Jibril mentioned seeing celebrities getting engaged influences our wants or what we believe we should want. She mentions Catherine Shannon’s Substack essay, “Pop Enters Its Wife Era,” and what Shannon wrote about these celebrities “talking left, walking right.” Basically, celebrities who are known to be progressive can be seen as “slipping away” from activism to get married. Though judging someone on this choice is a feminist conversation.
The aging of a progressive generation allows them to live with their partner without marriage, which puts marriage on the table eventually. It doesn’t have to be one or the other; it’s the rise of free choice. However, social media can influence the choice rather than advocating for the choice.
Everyone’s outlook on marriage is different. My small hometown might be holding conservative values, making them want to be wed, or they could be ready after being long-term high school sweethearts. Oh well, if you are planning to get married, make sure the choice isn’t wrongfully influenced.
Cassidy McClurg is a freshman student studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Cassidy about their column? Email cm303824@ohio.edu
