Marriage For Our Generation

According to modern media sources, there is a large population - perhaps even a majority - of modern women who do not want to get married. Such pundits say that modern women, because of their unprecedented freedom, financial security, and independence, simply don’t find the concept of marriage appealing. This is, they say, the source of the increasing trend towards single womanhood.

It’s interesting to look at the huge spectrum of single womanhood out there and explore what our varied attitudes are towards the institution of marriage. One thing I see a lot of is cynicism and jadedness. For example, my generation, Generation X, is the first generation to really be, I suppose, the “divorce generation,” as broken homes became de rigeur for the first time pretty much in our generation. I believe that has really taken a toll on our and subsequent generations’ attitudes towards marriage. 

As I have said before, I feel this is especially true of men. Kids who are the products of broken homes mostly grow up with single mothers, and I would imagine that this would hit little boys especially hard. Little boys who grow up without father figures in the home, especially those who watched their mothers struggle with loneliness and financial difficulties, probably grow up confused and afraid of commitment, never wanting to inflict that kind of pain on any woman. 

I know a lot of women who want to get married. But I’m just one person. I can’t speak for the multitudes of single women out there. But I think the trend away from marriage is more a reflection of our generation’s fear of it than of our animosity towards it. Even women I’ve spoken to who “don’t believe in marriage” fantasize about it. I wish the media would reflect the diversity of opinion and experience in the lives of modern single women, and stop promoting this tired old trope about the “liberated single woman.” That's true for many of us. But, as usual, our experiences are diverse and varied.