The dictionary defines marriage as a social institution, recognized as legitimate by society, which consists of the union of two people to establish a community of life. Getting married is a very important decision for people. But what if nobody wants to get married?
At present a very interesting phenomenon is becoming present, the lack of commitment, in this essay I will refer particularly to romantic relationships. In these moments we can observe how the world is divided by generations and I will try to explain the problems of this by finding similarities in past generations.
There are five different generations and each one is characterized by having lived social events that marked a lifestyle, the generations are:
- Traditionalist generation: born between 1926 to 1946 Baby boomers: born between 1946 to 1964 Generation X: born between 1964 to 1980 Generation Y: from 1980 to 1990 Generation Z or millenium: 1990 onwards
Until now, the last generation to arrive is generation Z, for several authors this generation is the most rebellious, independent and the one that least worries about commitment, of course not all are bad things, according to a Ford study, young people from This generation are entrepreneurs: they are 55% more likely to start their own business and hire other people than previous generations.
Generation Z has adopted the technology in the first instance, which has largely generated a dependence on it. These individuals are more attached to the virtual world than to the "real" one. In this generation, the lack of appreciation for family values is very present. We are very individualistic. We believe we live outside the social norms.
According to a Ford study, 37% of young people between 18 and 25 years old prefer to rent a product than to buy it, this indicates that 63% prefer to buy their own product instead of taking on the responsibility of a rented one.
To be able to make a comprehensive analysis about the problems of generation Z, we will try to find the origin of these in the generations before the millennium generation.
According to INEGI data in 1980, for every 100 marriages there were 4 divorces; in 1990 and 2000 this figure rose to just over 7 divorces, in 2005 the number of divorces per 100 marriages was almost 12 and in 2012 it was 17 divorces per 100 marriages.
Generation Z and their enmity with commitment
The baby boomers generation. The term Baby boomer comes from the social phenomenon called by that name, which occurred in some countries between 1942 and 1960. After the Second World War, several of these countries experienced an unusual spike in birth rates. This fact also affected Mexico, therefore our grandparents had a large number of siblings.
This generation can be divided into two cohorts (people born within a 15-year period is defined as a cohort), one more serious than the other.
Cohort 1. They are those born from 1943 to 1954. This cohort had mainly memorable events such as: the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, the music of the English band The Beatles, political unrest, arrival to the moon, war Vietnam, anti-war protests, social experimentation, sexual freedom, civil rights movement, environmental movement, feminist movement, protests and riots, use of hallucinogenic substances.
This cohort is represented primarily as an experiential, individualistic, free-spirited, and social problem-oriented individual.
Cohort 2. Born from 1955 to 1964. Memorable events: Watergate, the resignation of Richard Nixon, the cold war, the oil embargo, the socio-political movements of Latin America.
In this case, the individual becomes less optimistic, distrusts the government and acquires a general cynicism.
Boomers have often found it difficult to balance their time and money. What generates that the environment in his family is an apathetic and devoid of feelings, therefore, it caused a “high rate” of divorces or abandonments which caused his children (generation X) to grow up with only one father, generally mothers.
Generation X. A good part of the members of generation X have grown more alone and for another they do not believe that marriage is forever. That is why the possibility of divorce is latent in them. Generation X individuals are more likely to appreciate their independence and take much longer than their parents to marry, and a considerable number even live a long time with their parents before becoming independent, something that was unthinkable in previous generations. They were the first generation to be raised with a true break from the traditional home. It was the first generation that did no better than their parents.
Generation Y. The American sociologist Kathleen Shaputis labeled this generation as the Peter Pan generation, because he perceives the tendency to delay some customs in adulthood for longer periods than previous generations. These labels were also a reference to a trend towards members living with their parents for longer periods than previous generations.
Dr. Larry Nelson also noted that some Gen Z youth are delaying the transition from infancy to adulthood in response to mistakes made by their parents. We can see how all this social problem had its beginning from the Baby boomer generation and how the actions that were taken in it had repercussions for 50 years later.
In my opinion, the action of getting married and divorced is something very particular, as long as people are happy they can make the choice that they think is convenient, after all we are here, now we have to enjoy it. In previous generations, you got married, started your career, and did it immediately. But what young people are seeing today is that such an approach has led to divorces and people unhappy with their careers.
