Putting The Brakes On Sex And Marriage

Maybe we’re hopeless romantics watching Sleepless in Seattle over and over again and waiting for the one or maybe we’re just cynical about relationships in general. Whatever it is, it seems we’re getting married and having sex less than ever before.

A whopping 30 percent of Americans have never been married, according to US census figures. Seeing as this is the largest percentage in 60 years, it deserves a bit of attention here. You may think it’s possible that these people are enjoying the single life and having lots of good sex, no serious strings attached, but this may not be the case.

A recently released Playboy survey states that 40 percent of adults between the ages 18 and 24 are still virgins. There’s now a lag time where many young people live with their parents, go to school, or travel and so choose not to get married until later in life, which may account for the rise in virgins. Pair that with the fact that it’s more acceptable today to be unmarried in your 20s and you’ve got the perfect recipe for no sex.

Of course it isn’t a given that the unmarried portion of the population have their chastity belts on, but the coincidence is too close to be random. In a time where we’re bombarded with sexual images, it could be that we’re finally desensitized to it all. We see too much, so we want less.

So what does this all boil down to? If sex and marriage are a package deal, it may be the case that our parents and grandparents are getting it on more than we are. If you’re thinking of your own parents like I did just there, you’re seriously disturbed by this point.

On the other hand, marriage may just be a formality. Sure, 40 percent is a lot of virgins under the age of 24, but there’s also many people choosing cohabitation as a means to make sure it’s the right decision (if indeed they both want to marry in the future) and to be financially prepared. We can say that these people are having their cake and eating it too. They’re getting the benefits of marriage without actually having to take the plunge.

All the power to this group, but the 40 percent figure is still nagging. It isn’t a scientific correlation, but it’s too close for comfort. If marriage is sex on tap, it seems we’re running dry.

Contact the author here: tinybart@morningquickie.com