With today’s divorce rates being notoriously high, there is no question that divorce, and the subsequent creation of non-traditional families, greatly impacts the views of young adults.
The way marriage is portrayed and handled in today’s society greatly influences the ways in which the Millennials view marriage. One wonders, though, how it affects the future of Millennials: Are they completely turned off from marriage?
There is no universal definition for family, considering the fact that the concept varies greatly throughout the world. Regardless of how one chooses to define “family,” there is no denying that it is one of the most salient aspects in a person’s life. Aside from numerous other things, family also provides economic security, such as financial stability. Family also functions as emotional support and socio-economic placement. Familial relationships are primary, and are both long-lasting and intimate, regardless of whether they are traditional or not. This is why the impact on children and young adults is so great. For example, the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia states that children who grow up in a single-parent home are more likely to struggle with hardships that include delinquency or teenage pregnancy. Furthermore, kids and young adults raised in single-parent families are two to three times more likely to dropout of high school. Boys raised in such a household are more than twice as likely to be arrested by the age of thirty. While there is nothing inherently negative about single-parent families, there is no denying the heavy impact they have on the Millennial generation.
How is all of this affecting young adults and their future plans for marriage and family?
Marriage, similar to the concept of family, differs throughout different cultures. However, marriage can always be defined as a socially approved mating relationship that people expect is stable and enduring. Many people have expressed concerns regarding the welfare of children and young adults growing up in a non-traditional marriage household. How does it impact them? Will it change their views on marriage? In truth, the future of Millennials does not depend on living within a traditional family, as much as it does in living in a home that provides financial security. The marital situation of a child’s parents can certainly affect the well-being of the child or young adult, but the family’s economic situation has a far greater impact. It less important that the family and marriage is traditional, as it is secure and stable.
Each family will define their own roles in the household, and their own family unit. Will the legal union of marriage decline in the coming years? It’s difficult to say, but one thing is definitely clear: Relationships and the perspective Millennials have on them are changing. They will circumscribe the parameters in which their own generation will see as “family.”
At The Crossroads is an Independent Living Program designed to help young adults ages 18-25 to become successful, self-sustaining individuals. To find out more, call us at (866) 439-0354.
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