Michael D. Zentman, Ph.D. and director of Adelphi University's post graduate program in couple's therapy notes in an NBC article that marriage is looking a lot different today than it has in past years.
Marriage is looking a lot different today than it has in past years and according to a recent study by the University of Maryland, while wage increases for men in the U.S. resulted in an uptick in births, there was little to no increase in marriages. While there could be several explanations, all factors amount to the fact that now, more than ever, marriage is seen as optional. It is no longer necessary for the passage into a adulthood and because of that many millennials are waiting much longer to get married or forego the option entirely.
Marriage has always been challenging, but 2017 brings some unique difficulties to the mix, from increasing social media usage to greater career opportunities.
Michael D. Zentman, Ph.D., director of Adelphi University’s postgraduate program in couple therapy in the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology attributes the change to the fact that relationships are now given less priority than they were before. Waiting longer for marriage opens up a new opportunity to prioritize friendships and careers over a spouse.
“The overall impact is that, for many contemporary couples, their relationship is unwittingly given much lower importance than most marriages can endure,” he says. “If the job, the children, the gym and the friends are consistently prioritized over the marriage, the marriage, over time, can wither like an underutilized muscle.”
» See the full article in NBC News
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