Millennials: Saving Marriage for Last

Brandee Sanders, The Root | July 20, 2011

There it lay in front of me, a strapless, satin, ivory gown embellished with floral embroidery, complete with a chapel train and my aunt’s promising smile. “We’re saving this for when it’s your turn,” she said.

It was the perfect equation for her. My mother and father never tied the knot, and my aunt didn’t have any daughters to pass her wedding dress down to. Little did she know that marriage is the last thing on my 21-year-old mind. It took every fiber in my body not to rain on her bridal parade with a “No thanks.”

Don’t get me wrong. Her dress was to die for, but taking that walk down the aisle isn’t a necessity for me, and a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center suggests that many Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 agree with me.

In fact, just 30 percent of survey respondents in the Millennial generation agree that one of the most important things in life is “having a successful marriage,” while 52 percent put “being a good parent” in that category.

I’m sure that every girl has dreams about finding her Prince Charming, walking down the aisle, exchanging vows in front of family and friends and living happily ever after. But when we’re faced with the realities of relationships in our society, those dreams often get lost along the way, and priorities relating to marriage and parenthood began to shift.  (Read more)