Study: Gen Z Has More Traditional Views of Marriage Than Their Parents

A recent study found that members of Generation Z are more traditionalist and conservative when it comes to marriage—more so than their Millennial parents. According... Read More

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A recent study found that members of Generation Z are more traditionalist and conservative when it comes to marriage—more so than their Millennial parents.

According to The Times Generation Z study, “only a fifth of 18 to 27-year-olds believed that marriage was ‘irrelevant,’ while a third thought it better for a couple to be married before having children.” Additionally, “the research showed that young adults today were more in favor of marriage than young adults 20 years ago, when almost twice the proportion—39%—thought marriage to be irrelevant.” And it’s not just marriage that Gen Zer’s view differently, but sex as well.

In 2004, 78% of Millennial respondents considered “one-night stands” or “casual sex” outside of marriage to be common practice for the people in their lives. Now, only 23% feel this way. Even the use of pornography seemed to be slightly less of a factor, with 58% of respondents stating people in their circles viewed it commonly while only 40% say the same today. Even a third of Gen Zer’s felt couples should get married before having kids. However, researchers believe this worldview is not necessarily driven by a desire for romance and companionship so much as it is stemming from a pursuit of “economic survival.”

Concerning the results, generational expert and Human Resources consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek that the “shift toward marriage,” in particular, wasn’t surprising. Beyond romance, he added, “Gen Z has grown up watching Millennials [experience] skyrocketing housing costs, stagnant wages, student debt traps, and a work culture that treats burnout and overwork like an admirable personality trait. … Gen Z sees that and, instead of rejecting traditional relationships outright, they’re looking for stability in an economy that offers them none.” Driscoll believes that young people today see marriage as a “strategy” to getting better “access to healthcare, housing, and even basic financial security.”

Yet, despite the more conservative views Gen Z seems to have on marriage, other research finds that there has been an overall decline in the number of people getting married over the last three decades among rural women aged 15 to 44. According to The Washington Post, “between 1988 and 2018, the proportion of rural women who were married fell from 55% to 33%.” At least among rural women, the Washington Post concluded that lower rates of marriage appear directly linked to lower education levels and lower income.

On a recent episode of “The Briefing,” Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler addressed these findings. “We’re looking at the very essence of human civilization by God’s own design,” he said. “[W]e are looking at a long-term crisis that is not unique to rural America, [but] is present throughout America of declining marriage rates.” Whether it is concerning the women in the Washington Post research or the Gen Z study from The Times, Mohler acknowledged that there are many factors likely at play.

However, regardless of the causation, Mohler pointed out that Christians understand “creation order is very much at stake here.” Concerning the decline of marriage, he emphasized, “what began on the campuses, began in the cities, began on the coasts, is now in the heartland. It affects red America as well as blue America. And in that sense, we should all be saddened by the understanding of what’s taking place.” Yet, he added, “it also shows the importance of Christian churches and of Christian parents. It shows the importance of Christian pastors preaching and teaching the word of God, pointing to God’s plan, affirming and explaining creation order, setting forth God’s plan … a man and a woman coming together in marriage, receiving children as God’s gift, and raising those children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

But as Mohler stated, “The family … is the greatest engine for turning out successful adults. … It also, in ways that many people don’t want to think about, becomes one of the greatest predictors of how future citizens will vote and how they will act.” Ultimately, the “intact family” through healthy marriages that produce children “also turns out to produce people who want to conserve the intact family.”

And “if you’re surprised by that,” he concluded, “you shouldn’t be.”

Originally published by The Washington Stand