Gen Zs who are 2020 Covid HS Grads and 2024 College Grads - "I'm engaged" Trend

[Anonymous]

I don't know if it's a trend, but as someone who got engaged at 23 to her college sweetheart, this being a trend doesn't bother me at all. I've been happily married now for 34 years. And I will add that didn't find being engaged/married at all distracting from my career. We waited several years to have children.

[Anonymous]

Seeing it too and wondered whether it was “the times” a slightly more southern school or a class thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

+2

My much younger brother (24) got married to his HS girlfriend last year, when they were both 23. A junior colleague (24) just got engaged.

I am definitely seeing this and, frankly, it is ideal to get married young IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I agree with this. Maybe the younger generation doesn't see evidence that waiting until your late 30s to marry offers any significant advantages.

[Anonymous]

Millie Bobbie Brown and a whole swath of young Hollywood getting married before 25 is setting the trend. I think it is definitely in response to the Millennials who have held out forever and for too long. They are now in their 30's and it's looking bleak. Gen Z tends to roll their eyes at the Millennials so not surprised that they would go the other way.

[Anonymous]

Nothing new. Happening before Covid too.

[Anonymous]

Also, the younger generation doesn't seem as career motivated as my generation seems to be. I get it. Again, they see older generations who prioritized work, preached its supremacy over all else, and they aren't buying it. Probably not that impressed with their own parents approach and aren't focused on pursuing the same paths.

[Anonymous]

My husband's nephew has been desperate to marry his HS sweetheart since they started college. He's religious and wants to be proper. Neither side's parents want them to get married so young, but the lovebirds finally wore their parents down and will get married after junior year.

DH and I are much more liberal and tried to do all we could to convince him to wait. But seeing how many friends I have at 30,40,50 that have never been married and wish they had, I also wonder if these kids are taking that into account.

[Anonymous]

No idea if it's a trend or not but many of my younger DC's friends under 25 are engaged and few are married. Surprisingly, most of them are high achievers and from educated, upper/upper middle class, two parent families.

Apparently, they are inspired by relationship troubles millennials are facing with hook up culture and app based shallow dating leading to single-hood or divorces. Imho, pandemic also put things in perspective for them. They don't want to put real lives on back burner for sake of processional lives.

[Anonymous]

Its not common among people with large student loans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the best spouses M and F get snatched up in their 20s.

This is so far from true! The majority of these young marriages will end in divorce. The best M and F are early 30s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Millie Bobbie Brown and a whole swath of young Hollywood getting married before 25 is setting the trend. I think it is definitely in response to the Millennials who have held out forever and for too long. They are now in their 30's and it's looking bleak. Gen Z tends to roll their eyes at the Millennials so not surprised that they would go the other way.

This. I think they also learned from us Gen Xers who mostly waited to get married, lots of us either had problems having children or couldn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Millie Bobbie Brown and a whole swath of young Hollywood getting married before 25 is setting the trend. I think it is definitely in response to the Millennials who have held out forever and for too long. They are now in their 30's and it's looking bleak. Gen Z tends to roll their eyes at the Millennials so not surprised that they would go the other way.

This. I think they also learned from us Gen Xers who mostly waited to get married, lots of us either had problems having children or couldn't.

Literally all my GenX friends (and me) were married between around 26-28…the last one at 30.

Don’t blame GenX.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All the best spouses M and F get snatched up in their 20s.

This is so far from true! The majority of these young marriages will end in divorce. The best M and F are early 30s.

Yep. My 23 year old assistant (from the South) came to NYC, met a guy, got married a year later, had a baby a year later, got divorced a year later. All before 27. It happened right before my horrified eyes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Come back to this post in 10 years and see how many marriages held together.

Its not like people who marry late, they are finding soulmates and happily ever after anymore, most only settle with whatever is available due to fear of missing out.