Gen Zs who are 2020 Covid HS Grads and 2024 College Grads - "I'm engaged" Trend
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
My DD graduated college this year and is on her way with a promising career as a Learning Disability Teacher. She and her boyfriend have been seriously dating for over 4 years. He's a great young man and we do love him. But after college graduation DD started floating the idea of getting engaged....stating that she knew many friends (both young women and men) who got engaged right after graduation.
My DD tells me that her generation is getting engaged/married younger - making it sound like a trend. I'm in the "you are too young to get engaged, let alone married" mainly because I feel she should focus on her career first without distractions of an "engagement". I would give the same advice to any young man or woman just graduating college. But DD continues to show me posts from friends happily stating "I'm engaged"! Admittedly, on the university's parent FB page I did see a few posts of "happily engaged" right after graduation. But I am wondering....is anyone else is seeing a "trend" of this generation getting engaged/married younger? I wonder if this is a result of those being greatly affected by the "pandemic years" -- they lost key milestones from senior year in 2020 and then again their first year of college....all while seeing the devastating deaths on a daily basis via social media/news outlets. |
Anonymous
Not seeing that with my 20 year old and any of his friends or acquaintances. I don’t think it’s a Gen Z trend. |
Anonymous
| Which university? I’m sure that is a factor. |
Anonymous
A "liberal" liberal arts medium size school in VA. |
Anonymous
| My recent grad daughter know several people who are engaged, but I'm not sure it's a trend. I knew several engaged couples when I was a recent graduate. Were they the norm? No, just like I don't think it's the norm now. |
Anonymous
|
My son when to Catholic school and has some very Christian friends so yes they are getting married mostly because they have to if they want to live together.
Two got their girlfriends pregnant so they got married. Most his friends from his Catholic school are not getting married any time soon. None of his friends from his non-Catholic college are getting married. I suspect they will start getting married at 27. They are now 24. |
Anonymous
Are they super christian? Some people won't have s3x without being married so they get married young: Trevor Lawrence. |
Anonymous
|
I have a 22 college grad. 4 of their friends are engaged and getting married in next 6 months. Another 2 are living with their SO (together since freshman and sophomore year of college). From their HS friends/acquaintances, there are 5 who just got engaged in last 3 months. These are all kids from highly educated households, the kids are all on their career paths (ie done with college/advanced degrees for their career choices). I don't see an issue with it, especially if they have been together for several years. However, note that most of these kids are 2 years out from undergrad---but they are with their SO from junior/senior year of college (or earlier).
|
Anonymous
| Yes. I am seeing this. |
Anonymous
|
If this is true, then it’s simply the pendulum swinging back in the other direction from all the advice the Boomers gave Millennials.
I know lots of Millennials who set out to live their “best lives” and ended up waiting awhile, oftentimes with questionable results. |
Anonymous
| All the best spouses M and F get snatched up in their 20s. |
Anonymous
|
I just saw someone's college freshman get engaged before moving into the dorm! I would likely discourage that, but after college, it's really up to the now-adult to make their own choices. I would probably steer them toward sound financial advice as opposed to trying to tell them how to live.
Frankly I hope my kids get happily married in their 20s. I will support them in any case, but finding someone young, not "needing" to party forever, and being youthful for major life steps (should you choose to take them) is not a bad thing! |
Anonymous
| Come back to this post in 10 years and see how many marriages held together. |
Anonymous
They will be back on the market in 10 years if they get married out of college. LOL |
Anonymous
|
I remember back in the 80's when i graduated. A bunch of friends got married right after graduation. I just think if you've been dating for a bit, this is just the next step. Then it was a few years before a number of other marriages started.
That said, I have one kid that graduated in '23 and I'm not aware of any of their friends that got married. Lots of couples still together, but no marriages. I have one due to graduate next spring, so '25. I will not be surprised if they get engaged to the person they've been dating for awhile as I see some of their older friends. Covid or the school (smaller, more conservative) - who knows? |