There are a number of contributing factors as to why 30 has become the new 20 in today’s hectic and modern environment. Today’s singles face more challenging economic and social hurdles, all of which delay traditions like marriage and having families.
If you are in your late 20s or early 30s and still single, try not to worry, you’re in the company of a growing group of adult singles who are simply trying to get ahead in life before taking on commitments such as marriage. Compared to a few decades ago, the stigma attached to being single when one has passed the 25- to 30-year-old mark is crumbling away, and you are less likely to be judged simply because you haven’t walked down the aisle yet.
Twenty years ago, the average age that people got married was early 20s, but back then, secure, well paying jobs were in abundance, and it was easier for those with only a high school diploma to be gainfully employed. Add cheap, government-subsidized housing and lower cost of living into the mix and you’ve got young couples with relatively fewer headaches in raising a family.
Today, middle-class jobs with great benefits are harder to come by, and most of them require a college education. Housing costs have also increased, prompting some adults to delay fleeing the parental nest, or–for those who have already left–move back into their parents’ home. These factors are causing singles to proceed cautiously with major life commitments. Today, we simply live in a world of uncertainty.
Some years back, when free dating websites and Facebook were unheard of, singles exposure to the dating world was limited. That means, they were more likely to marry someone from the same community, school or country. Today, Internet dating sites and social networking sites have raised the bar providing modern men and women with an endless pool of singles to potentially meet. Now that the dating landscape has opened up in such a diversified manner, single people are dating more often rather than marrying their hometown sweetheart.
Some people may worry that by marrying late, they miss out on the thrill that young marital bliss offers. Well, not really. The fact that singles in their 30s are more confident and emotionally mature, there is an increased chance that the unions they make have more chances of survival than young marriages. Sociologist Paul Amato who co-wrote the book Alone Together: How Marriage in America Is Changing, says older couples tend to be less inclined to contemplate divorce.
Waiting until one thinks he or she is ready to take the plunge into married life is better, says sociologist Andrew Cherlin, author of the book The Marriage-Go-Round: The State of Marriage and the Family in America Today. In the process, the individual gets to experience life more and know himself really well, becoming his own person before deciding to live with someone else.
Being in your 30s and still single does not give you any reason to feel left out. Now that dating websites and social networking has become very much the norm, one does not need to rely so much on meeting someone through their friends, or as offline social options become less frequent.
Being single has many benefits, so enjoy it while it lasts!
