Gen Z want marriage

News

Almost two thirds of young adults believe that marriage is still an important institution, while just a fifth deem it “irrelevant”, a survey by The Times has found.

The newspaper’s Generation Z study also revealed that a third of 18 to 27-year-olds thought it better for a couple to be married before having children, confirming that Gen Z tend to take a more conservative view of sex and relationships than their parents.

When the same question was asked 20 years ago, 39% of 18 to 30-year-olds said they thought marriage was “irrelevant”.

Similar trends were seen in attitudes to casual relationships: only 23% of Gen Z said they thought their friends commonly had sex on a one-night stand, sharply down from the 78% who said the same in 2004.

Harry Benson, Director of Research at Marriage Foundation, told The Times that the research indicated the start of a “backlash” among young people against the “laissez-faire” attitudes of previous generations.

“For a long time there has been a belief that love, living together and having a baby is enough,” he said. “But Gen Z appears to be fighting back against this approach.”

On transgender issues, however, Gen Z was generally permissive. The survey of 1,161 young adults found that 56% said ‘transgender women’ (i.e. men who believe they are women) should be allowed to use women’s toilets, compared to 28% who disagreed. They drew the line at sports, however, with only 26% saying men should be allowed in women’s sports, versus 49% who said no.

When it comes to keeping families together, the evidence shows that nothing compares to marriage. No wonder the upcoming generation is returning to it. A cohort who, as children, were on the sharp end of too many broken homes and failed marriages has learned the hard way the value of commitment.

At C4M we believe in being part of the solution. Young people today are reaffirming the importance of marriage. But can they convert that aspiration into marriages that go the distance? In that, they will need the help of all of us to lend a hand and show the way.