Gen Z has revived getting married

Gen Z has already shown a tendency to go against the grain compared to previous generations in various aspects, from alcohol to dating. They are more focused on well-being, both physical and mental, which makes them appear more conservative compared to the Millennial generation that came before them. While discussions about the relationship recession have been ongoing for some time, a recent survey published in the Times suggests another area where Gen Z differs from others: their perception of marriage and casual sex. In fact, looking at the data, one-third of young people aged 18 to 27 believe that a couple should get married before having children, while only a minority (about one-fifth) consider marriage to be «irrelevant.» Therefore, young adults of this generation appear to be more in favor of marriage compared to previous generations, as in the past, as many as 39% of young people considered it an irrelevant ritual.

At first glance, this data might suggest a more "conservative" tendency within Gen Z, but in reality, it stems from a more enthusiastic approach to marriage and a paradigm shift in the perception of sex. This enthusiasm for marriage comes from viewing weddings as a reversible act, with the idea that divorce is an option rather than a failure, as it was considered in the past when it carried a sense of guilt. Because marriage is not seen as something eternal, it is perceived as an option worth trying. «Society labels us as selfish, and we probably are in relationships too: we don’t feel the need to always follow the path society considers normal,» said one of the study participants, offering a clear reflection of the more fluid way Gen Z perceives relationships, without feeling obligated to follow a predetermined course. However, not everyone shares this view: some interviewees acknowledge that marriage contracts and potential divorces come with excessive costs or simply do not consider marriage at all.

The Times research also addresses the topic of casual relationships, and here too, the trend points to a certain conservatism. Only 23% of Gen Z reported that their friends had casual sexual encounters, a sharp drop compared to the 78% of Millennials who answered yes to the same question twenty years ago. This is not due to an aversion to casual sex itself but rather to the difficulty in having quality dates, partly because dating apps are widely considered terrible. Even when Gen Z engages in casual encounters, they are cautious: only 16% said their friends might have sex without protection outside of a long-term relationship, compared to 52% in a 2004 survey. Another notable decline in the survey is the consumption of pornography, which has decreased compared to previous years. According to Harry Benson (director of research at the Marriage Foundation), these conservative tendencies stem from Gen Z’s reactive behavior, contrasting with the Millennial generation’s inclination toward cohabitation (rather than marriage) and casual sex. «For a long time, people believed that love, cohabitation, and having children were enough,» Benson told the Times, «but Gen Z seems to be rebelling against this approach.»

The data paints a picture in which Gen Z views the institution of marriage with more flexibility compared to the past while simultaneously demonstrating discomfort with one-night stands. The reason behind this less casual approach to sex could perhaps be found in the hypersexualized environment this generation has been exposed to from a young age. Sex is omnipresent, explicit content is easily accessible, and as a result, the sense of transgression that existed, for example, for Millennials, has faded. Think of early 2000s TV series (Sex and the City, for example), which framed casual sex as a form of female empowerment and free sexual expression—whereas today, this practice has lost its appeal, even to the point of seeming disheartening. Even the film industry appears to align with this perspective, reducing the presence of sex scenes in favor of fewer but higher-quality intimate moments. More generally, there is a growing disinterest in investing energy in encounters that do not seem to lead to anything lasting.