So we're starting to make sense of this whole sex/relationship thingamabob for young adults: they aren't having quite as much sex as they used to, but people in NYC definitely have more "risky sex"; men are clingy and want relationships, while women are cold and aloof; and NYC has an overwhelming number of single ladies, but women hate sex because of economics. So what is the superglue for all of these disparate studies/surveys? Despite everything, most young adults still want to have little brats children.
A new Pew survey reveals that "millennials" (that word makes us cringe) between 18-29 value parenthood far more than marriage. Fifty-two percent of millennials say being a good parent is “one of the most important things” in life, while just 30 percent say the same about having a successful marriage. They asked the same questions to Generation X (hey Reality Bites!)—42 percent said parenthood was more important, while 35 percent said successful marriage was. However, 70 percent of millennials who haven't been married before say they do want to get married, and 74 percent say they want to have children...so they do want both...they just don't value marriage as highly.
Of course, there's no mention of gay marriage (or the lack thereof), which neglects a sizable portion of the group obviously. But in the end, for heterosexual couples, this comes down to the age old argument: do you listen to sad songs because you're sad, or are you sad because you listen to sad songs? Do millennials not value marriage because they've grown up around bad marriages, or by not valuing marriage, do they create a self-perpetuating myth about the state of commitment and marriage amongst younger people?
