Millennials have a lot of struggles in our post-recession world. Among them are crushing student debt, rising costs, and the fact that a large portion of them cannot afford to live on their own. They are forced to make a lot of difficult decisions as a result of being known as the broke generation.
Many studies have revealed that millennials are putting off a lot of major decisions. The reason is they simply can’t afford them. They’re waiting longer and longer to buy a house, get married, and have kids. Student loan debt is one of the main causes of this problem. When you’re paying out towards your debt equivalent to your rent payment each month, you’d have reasons to be concerned, too.
But another area millennials are struggling to afford is the dating life. Match.com recently did a survey that revealed 30% of millennials say dating is too expensive for them. Their financial instability makes dating that much more difficult, as it’s hard to explain to a prospective partner why they’re not as stable. Typically, not too many people would find financial instability appealing when choosing the right partner.
A Worthless Investment?
To be fair to millennials, dating is quite expensive. One millennial shared this thought with USA Today, claiming to spend hundreds of dollars each month to go out on dates. That’s a lot of change to spend, especially if such attempts don’t work out. Then you’re in a constant struggle of routinely dating to find someone who sticks.
Let’s face it. If you’re going to date, then you need to do it right. Men especially feel obligated to take dates out to a nice place, which can get fairly pricey. Add in other costs, like going to get a coffee, seeing a movie, or other dating venues prospective couples do. Even if the couple agrees to go Dutch, going on a date can cost a pretty penny.
Nearly half of all women find financial security to be a deal breaker. Of course, if you’re going to start a relationship with someone that can lead to marriage, you would want your spouse to have some financial security. Nearly 90% of women say finding a kind partner is really their main goal, but the financial aspect does matter to them somewhat.
Commitment Issues?
In reality, millennials might just be making excuses. A new survey found that this generation has a difficult time making a commitment. 39% of them found committed relationships boring. There is a lot of fear of settling down with the wrong person and in today’s modern culture, dating and sex aren’t mutually inclusive any longer. Dating on its own merits is just a fun evening and tomorrow they’ll go out with someone else.
More than ever millennials are breaking off dates for some fairly crazy reasons, like incompatible zodiac signs or minor disagreements, like not agreeing on what the best restaurant in town is. These show an eagerness not to commit, but to find weak excuses why it’s not working out.
