Not long ago, girls would grow up dreaming of walking down the aisle and being a wife. In today’s modern world, however, women are holding off on marriage or not bothering to get married at all. According to CNN, over 53 percent of women ages 18 and up are single.
For many women, being single is an active choice. The pressure if off when it comes to marriage and even having kids. Women are now allowed to choose their education over getting a husband. Choosing to focus on a career instead of becoming a housewife is no longer frowned upon. In fact, we have more successful business women now than ever before.
Is marriage becoming obsolete? For some women, marriage is an outdated way to have a relationship. The traditional roles of women inside a marriage are no longer appealing and the arrangement holds little value for a woman who is educated and working on a career. In some relationships, the roles of men and women are reversed with the man staying home to take care of the children and the woman holding a career. In these cases, marriage may still be off the table for the couple who are focused on bringing up the children in the best possible environment without the threat of a future divorce that can ruin everyone's financial stability.
15 It’s a money thing.
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Traditionally, women would marry to increase their financial position or to stabilize their level of comfort. For a woman who does not have deep pockets, her choices in a husband may not be that great. A non-working husband is a bigger burden than no husband at all, and her choice may be not to bother with marriage at all. If she already has a child, a husband who doesn’t work or contribute to the household could prevent her from getting the full government benefits she would need to raise her child and get her child financial aid for college.
14 Focused on career and success.
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A woman who is working towards a successful career or one who is already successful may find that she has little use for a husband. Sure, she could probably have her pick in men, but at what cost? Choosing a husband who is just as successful as her may seem like a dream come true, but two driven people will have little time to be bothered with the romance necessary to sustain a healthy marriage. If she were to choose a husband who earned less than her, it could lead to resentment problems down the road. In her position, she is better off waiting until she feels 100 percent ready or not be bothered at all.
13 Don’t want the cheating drama.
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It’s on the news, it’s in the gossip, and they even have television shows about it. Cheating on spouses is everywhere, from the Ashley Madison leak to the neighbors next door. Who has time for all of this drama? Some women are stepping away from the whole dating and marriage scene because they don’t have the time to waste on the stupid stuff. Besides, they find it much easier to have short term relationships than to deal with the struggles and doubts of a long term relationship.
12 Not ready to settle down.
In a report by Time, it is estimated that 25 percent of the Millennials (those born between 1982 and 2004) will never get married. For many of them, they are simply not ready to settle down into a traditional marriage. Even those who are in a committed relationship do not want to marry because they do not want to tie themselves down to just one person and one situation.
11 Marriage is a huge time commitment.
Between work, achieving personal goals, and, for some, caring for children, there is no leftover time for a spouse. A good, healthy marriage demands a huge time commitment and for a woman who is working on building her financial future, that extra time just isn’t there. The days where a husband worked 9 to 5, supporting a family of four on one income, and spending evenings and weekends home with the family are gone and so are the women who even want that type of lifestyle.
10 Friends are more important.
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For generations past, women would get married and leave their single friends behind. They would become totally immersed in the home family life and miss out on what the outside world had to offer. In today’s world, your friends are often the only people you can count on to be there for you, through thick and thin. Getting married might put too much of a strain on your friendships and could even end them. This is why more women are choosing to stay single: friendship trumps marriage.
9 Marriage is too old fashioned.
The big old church wedding with the lavish dress and seemingly meaningless marriage vows are just too old fashioned for many women. Sure, there are options to modernize the ceremony, but the whole idea of getting hitched to one person for a lifetime is just too much. It is also viewed as more of a financial and child rearing arrangement than an act of true love.
8 Waiting for Mr. Perfect.
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Women no longer have to settle for any man willing to marry them. They have options, and those options include cohabiting, short term dating, or not bothering with men at all. Women are now in a better position economically where they can wait for the right man to come along and sweep them off their feet. They can wait for a man who will reciprocate their total love and devotion, and if he doesn’t come along that is just as well. Life is too short and too busy to settle for anything less than Mr. Right.
7 Doesn’t want to take on a spouse’s debt.
In some states, when you get married you will also take on your spouse’s debt. For a woman who has a clean credit rating and little to no debt, getting married to someone who has a poor credit rating and a mountain of debt makes no sense. His additional debt could send her too deep into debt, ruining her credit rating, and it would mean that she would have to work twice as hard to reduce the new debt and repair their credit rating as a couple.
6 She can have kids without having a husband.
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A woman no longer needs a husband to have children. She can do it on her own and without the stigma that was prevalent as little as 20 years ago. Not only are there successful business women who are single moms, there are also a growing number of women who are able to work from home and be a mother without the additional burden of a husband.
5 Fewer friends are getting married.
It used to be that after graduating high school, a slew of high school sweethearts would start getting married, but the times have changed. Women, instead of jumping into marriage after graduating, are going on to college in record numbers. They are getting their education in first, before deciding if and when they want to actually get married. Some women are taking it further and waiting until after they have gained success in the career of choice before deciding if marriage is right for them.
4 Avoid an expensive divorce.
The Huffington Post reports that 40 to 50 percent of first marriages end in divorce. That means, your marriage has a 1 in 2 chance of ending in the courtroom. Of course, if a woman doesn’t get married, she will never have to worry about getting a divorce, splitting assets, and getting to keep her personal property intact. While people don’t generally want to think about divorce proceedings while they are in the throws of love, the Millennials are realists and think ahead.
3 Marriage would increase her taxes.
CNN reports that some women are not getting married because of tax reasons. If she is already making a good income, marrying a man who makes equal or more money than her can increase her tax load resulting in higher tax payouts at the end of the year.
2 She has better things to do with her time.
Let’s face it. Women have more liberties and more choices than they ever had in the history of this country. They can choose to get married or opt for a civil union, they can choose a short term relationship or stay in one long lasting relationship, or they can forego relationships altogether with little to no societal consequence. With so many choices available, more women are just naturally choosing to hold off on marriage and work on their careers and life goals. Women suddenly have the time to pursue personal interests, explore career options, and start their own businesses.
1 Being a housewife is not an option.
Not every woman wants to be a housewife. In fact, more and more women prefer having a career and following their ambitions. Being a housewife just doesn’t fit into the program. Meeting a man who is not seeking a personal caretaker can be difficult, because while many women have changed, there are just as many men who have not changed and still want a traditional wife. For these strong willed women, they are not getting married because they can’t find a man with the same ideals as them.
Sources: cnn.com, time.com, huffingtonpost.com
