Marriage: The missing purpose our youth long for!

News

Young adults today are stuck in a state of arrested development, as delays in reaching life milestones such as marriage risk becoming permanent, experts have warned.

“We’re moving from later to never”, says Richard Reeves, President of the American Institute for Boys and Men. The longer people delay marriage and other traditional marks of adulthood, the less likely they are to do it at all, he says. “You can kick the can down the road, but only so far.”

Marriage rates in Western countries have been dropping fast. Only around half of Americans in their 30s were married as of last year, down from more than two-thirds in 1990. Meanwhile, the share of childless adults under 50 who say they are unlikely ever to have kids has risen eleven percentage points, from 37% to 48% between 2018 and 2023.

Cody Harding, a 38-year-old New Yorker, says he and most of his friends live in a state of suspended adolescence. He would like to escape, he says, but the anti-commitment culture of modern dating makes it all but impossible. “I’m sick of partying. I did that already. I want to grow up.”

Renata Leo, a 31-year-old graduate who still sleeps in her childhood bedroom with the same unicorn wallpaper put up before she was born, says she is becoming hopeless about ever launching into adulthood at all. “I still feel like a little kid.”

University of Maryland economist Melissa Kearney says this is a pattern being repeated in high income countries around the world. Social expectations, shifting priorities and economic realities all push towards “increased rates of staying single and staying childless”, she says.

At C4M, we see a clear and hopeful answer to this malaise: marriage. Marriage remains the cornerstone of fulfilled lives, strong families, and flourishing societies. When societies drift away from marriage, young people are left with a myriad of choices—except the one proven to offer the deepest fulfilment and stability.

Real marriage between a man and a woman answers profound longings in the human heart. It provides a framework for commitment, growth and purpose that modern alternatives simply cannot replicate. The evidence is clear: marriage works, and its value cannot be overstated.

Together, we can champion this vital institution. By supporting marriage, we empower young people to embrace adulthood with confidence and hope.