Would you believe us if we told you boomers are more sexually active than millennials? What about if we said boomers are getting divorced more than millennials? Well, it’s true!
Over the years, attitudes toward love, relationships, marriage, and sex have shifted dramatically across generations. Millennials tend to have more liberal views on these topics, but their behavior is often more conservative compared to previous generations. That is to say, they might not want to have sex, but they don’t mind if you do.
How Are Millennials Different?
While they’re more open to the idea of premarital sex than boomers, millennials generally have fewer sexual partners and are getting married later in life. From economic struggles to education trends to social media prenups, learn how millennials handle their love lives compared to boomers.
Waiting Longer to Say “I Do”
Marriage patterns have changed a lot over the generations, and millennials are clearly moving away from the traditional timelines. By 2019, only 44% of millennials were married, compared to 61% of Boomers at the same age.
This trend is part of a broader shift towards delaying marriage, with the average age at first marriage now at 30 for men and 28 for women. Many millennials are focusing on building their careers, pursuing higher education, and achieving financial stability before tying the knot.
Money Plays Into Decisions
Economic factors are a big influence on millennials’ decisions about marriage because financial stability is often prioritized over traditional marital commitments. Things like student loan debt and housing affordability challenges contribute to delayed marriages. The “slow-life factor,” as in millennials waiting longer to get married and have children, frequently stems from financial considerations.
Modern Family
Living together before marriage has become much more common, especially among millennials. We think this is great, as it gives couples a chance to see how they operate under the same roof before committing to a legal partnership. For many millennials, cohabitation is seen as a way to strengthen their relationship and possibly lower the risk of divorce.
This trend shows a move towards more flexible family structures and a step away from traditional marriage norms. However, cohabitation rates drop significantly after the early 20s, suggesting it’s often a temporary phase rather than a long-term alternative to marriage.
Definition of “Family” Changing
This shift in living arrangements is changing how we see family structures, with younger generations being more open to diverse household compositions and less likely to view marriage as a necessary life milestone. There are no rules anymore, and the nuclear family design is not how we define “family” anymore.
Secondary School Sweethearts
Education plays a big role in marriage trends among millennials. Those with a bachelor’s degree or higher are 50% more likely to marry compared to those with just a high school education, who are 38% likely to marry.
This discrepancy is likely due to the high cost of weddings, marriage, and (just in case the worst happens) divorce. The gap in marriage rates between these groups is wider for millennials than for previous generations.
Similar Educational Backgrounds Count
Additionally, college-educated millennials are more likely to marry someone with a similar educational background, with 75% of married millennials holding a bachelor’s degree or higher being married to another college graduate. This increase in shared educational background may also be due to more women in the younger generations attending college along with their male counterparts.
The Low-Down on Divorce
Although overall divorce rates have declined since 2000, partly due to fewer marriages, millennials face a higher probability of divorce within the first five years of marriage compared to previous generations.
But that’s just in the first five years. Baby boomers currently have higher divorce rates, while millennial marriages seem to stay stronger after the five-, ten-, and twenty-year mark. Boomers are getting divorced decades into their marriages, while millennials are more likely to call it quits early on if things aren’t working.
College Grads Divorce Less
Interestingly, college graduates have the lowest divorce rates among educational groups, highlighting the impact of education on marital stability. This steadfastness may also relate to the shared educational background discussed previously. A shared educational background can also mean similar goals, world views, and intelligence, which can make for a better marriage overall.
Love in the Time of Technology
Social media has had a huge impact on how marriage is perceived and experienced across generations, especially among younger couples. Studies have shown that higher social media usage is linked to more marital problems, infidelity, and divorce.
One study even found that a 20% annual increase in Facebook enrollment was associated with a 2.18% to 4.32% increase in divorce rates. Social media platforms can create jealousy and mistrust, with one in ten adults admitting to hiding messages from their partners and 8% maintaining secret accounts.
Did You Meet Online?
However, social media also plays a role in starting new relationships, with over a third of U.S. marriages now beginning online. To help avoid potential issues, some couples are setting up “social media prenups,” which are guidelines for acceptable online behavior within their relationships.
While social media might bring some lovers together, it also brings challenges that require open communication and clear boundaries to keep relationships and marriages healthy in the digital age.
Less Sex and More Tolerance
Millennials are generally more accepting of premarital sex than previous generations, reflecting a significant shift in cultural norms. A study found that by 2012, 58% of adults believed premarital sex was “not wrong at all,” a big jump from 29% in the early 1970s. This growing acceptance is especially strong among millennials, who have grown up in a world where premarital sex is not taboo.
However, despite their more permissive views, millennials report having fewer sexual partners (an average of 8) compared to baby boomers (who had an average of 11). This might be due to increased awareness of sexually transmitted diseases and a preference for “friends with benefits” relationships over multiple casual encounters.
You Do You
The shift in attitudes shows a broader trend towards individualism and tolerance, with younger generations more likely to embrace personal choice in matters of sexuality while remaining cautious in their own behaviors. Basically, millennials have a “that’s your personal business” kind of approach to other people’s bedroom activities, and that’s probably how it should be.
Redefining Romantic Relationships (For Everyone)
Millennials are proving that we can support and accept someone else’s personal choices while still making our own decisions. They don’t care if you want to sleep with someone before marriage, live with someone before marriage, get married later, never get married, or whatever floats your boat.
While baby boomers have historically stuck to the rigid traditional values of their upbringings, that’s changing too. More and more boomers are opting for cohabitation over marriage, having casual sex, and getting divorced. Have their millennial children inspired them to live their love life however they want, rather than how they think they should? We think so.
20 Things My 50 Year Old Self Would Tell My 30 Year Old Self
As we navigate through life’s ever-twisting paths, the perspective gained from experience is invaluable. Imagine being able to sit down with your future self and soak up wisdom that could change the course of your life? What would your 50-year-old self, seasoned with two extra decades of living, learning, and growing, advise you at 30? Here are 20 pearls of wisdom that your older, perhaps wiser self, might share to guide you through the complexities of personal development, career choices, relationships, and life decisions.
Whether it’s about embracing change, investing in your health, or cultivating meaningful connections, these insights are timeless reminders that the best approach to life is often a blend of courage, patience, and perspective.
READ: 20 Things My 50 Year Old Self Would Tell My 30 Year Old Self
