Why So Many Youngsters Choose to Remain Single?
“Life is complicated already, I won’t add more problems to it by having another person in my life” — unknown.
A number of statistics show that youngsters choose to fly solo and not in relationships. Centuries ago, getting married was everyone’s dream to live a happy life, whereas being single is a nightmare. But why do many youngsters prefer to stay single?
According to data from 1990–2010, the percentage of women in their late 40s who had never been married worldwide has increased by 1.2 percentage points. The data in 1990 showed 3.1 percent, whereas a decade later it became 4.3 percent. Moreover, the Pew Research Center estimates that when today’s young adults in the US reach the age of 50, about 25 percent of them will be single their whole lives.
The trend to delay marriage is becoming more common worldwide. The UN report entitled “Progress of the World’s Women 2019–2020”, focused on the issue of global changes for women supporting this idea. Even the report says,
“This has enabled women to complete their education, gain a stronger foothold in the labor market, and support themselves financially.”
Besides, being single longer gives advantages to men as well as women. For instance, both learn to master various kinds of skills to prepare themselves as a great partner in the future. It prevents the dividing task from being gender-stereotyped ways & decreases the number of divorces.
Three Reasons Why Youngsters Prefer to be Single
First
There is a shift in communication style. Compared to the past, now people tend to spend their time online because they can connect with people around the world effectively by swiping through the screen from applications on their phones. I agree that it is convenient to communicate that way because you spend less time going out and dressing up. However, research found that it declines the social skills & increases the depression (Ghlionn, 2023).
The study further reveals the usage of Dating Apps. Due to the easy access to connect people from the screen and select people they like through the swiping method, people become more judgemental (Anzani et al., 2018). They also lack the understanding to form deep & meaningful connections. The main reason is, that they don’t feel the struggle of how to meet the person face to face & build a relationship slowly rather than making a connection instantly (Castro & Barrada, 2020). That is why it’s harder for young people to find the right partner.
In addition, they judge too fast that this person isn’t right for them or not good enough for them. Instead, they jump to another profile and think that in the end, they will find a better match all over again and again. In reality, that’s not how things work. The thing is, you have to be a good communicator in the first place to build meaningful connections with others, focus on asking their values, and put sincere effort into every person you meet.
Second
There are a bunch of toxic relationship stories spread on the internet. Due to the flood of personal bad experiences in relationships such as cheating, sexual abuse, violence, crime, murder, etc on social media, many youngsters are afraid to commit a relationship.
They might have questions like, “Is it worth it to be in a relationship if I have a possibility of experiencing bad things?”, “I’m quite happy being single, why should I trust my life to someone stranger who might possibly hurt me in the future?”, “Will I find a good partner?”, “Are there still good people out there?”, and the list goes on.
Youngsters are worried that bad things might happen to them. The stories that they read on social media can happen to them. There is no guarantee that although your current partner loves you and treats you kindly, he/she might not change in the future.
Third
Economic crisis. Nowadays, it’s hard to find a job and meet daily needs with only 1 job. As the data show that global markets were roiled in early August. The US jobs report revealed that the unemployment rate ticked upward to 4.3%. It stoked fears of an economic downturn (Duggan, 2024). Furthermore, UN Trade & development states that global GDP growth will slow to 2.6% in 2024, continuing post-pandemic slowdown.
In addition, Inflation is extremely crazy. People are struggling to fulfill their needs on a day-to-day basis. The prices of groceries, tuition fees, home, land, medicine, electricity, and gasoline are getting more and more expensive. As the data from UN Food & Agriculture Organization’s showed that Food Price Index has been slowly increasing over the past six months following the declines over much of 2023.
Youngsters are pessimistic, how can they afford to raise kids in this catastrophic world? Everything is getting out of hand. They might be wondering this, “Can I provide good facilitation & life to my kids this way?”, “If living alone like this is already hard for me, how could I make a living for the entire family?”, “Can I survive by just doing 1 job and a side job to pay the bills for my family?”, “Will I be able to send my kids to school regardless of the extremely expensive tuition fee?”, etc.
In conclusion, the world is getting messier now. It’s hard nowadays to make a living & survive. People are all struggling and they’re doing their best to be okay. However, I hope that in the future, this world can be a friendly place where people can do what they want without worrying so much about economic crises & social issues.
References:
Anzani A., Di Sarno M., Prunas A. 2018. Using smartphone apps to find sexual partners: A review of the literature. Sexologies. doi: 10.1016/j.sexol.2018.05.001.
Castro & Barrada. 2020. Dating Apps & Their Sociodemographic & Psychosocial Correlates: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186500
Ghlionn, J. 2023. Why are so many young people single?. THE SPECTATOR. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-are-so-many-young-britons-single/
De Paulo, B. 2019. Around the World, Marriage is Declining, Singles Are Rising. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-single/201908/around-the-world-marriage-is-declining-singles-are-rising
Duggan, W. 2024. Recession 2024: What to watch & How to Prepare. US News: A World Report. https://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/recession-2024-what-to-watch-how-to-prepare
UN Trade & Development. 2024. https://unctad.org/news/global-economic-growth-set-slow-26-2024-just-above-recession-threshold
