The other day my editors at Lemondrop passed me a Media Week article referencing a new study specific to the 20-something set.
The research covers a bunch of issues facing the “transition generation” – as they refer to us, but it was one in particular that jumped out at the Lemondrop team as something I’d love to sink my teeth into.
“Per the TRU survey, 30 has emerged as a soft deadline for marriage, home ownership and career advancement, a development that has much to do with the pragmatism that informs today’s younger consumer.”
They know me too well…
Here’s my response to the that notion and my personal feelings on the idea of 30 as a marriage etc. deadline.
Thoughts for another headline.
For now, hope you enjoy this take and include your own thoughts in comments.
*photo from Lemondrop.com
4 comments
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My comment copied from lemondrop:
I don’t live my life by the rule, OK, I NEED to have kids by the time I’m 35, but it’s always there in the back of my mind.
I’m 25 and I’m already married, I got the house and the career going. Did I settle? I don’t feel like I did, but as someone once said about me, “Elissa’s always happy.” I am happy. I love my life, but there are probably many other lives I could be happy with too. That’s just the way I am.
So I’m on track on the baby schedule, ahead of it actually. All my decisions now revolve around the assumption that we’ll start trying for a baby in the next couple of years, or sooner if my husband gets his way.
But if something crazy were to happen and I didn’t get my way, I don’t think it would be the end of the world. There’s always adoption and I’m completely open to adopting an older kid too.
I have a plan, I think it’s good to have goals and know what you want in life, but I’m adaptable too. I think I can be happy no matter what happens, which is a good thing to keep in mind too. Things do happen. Life gets crazy and sometimes plans don’t work out.
So 30’s a good number I think, as long as we don’t live and die by it.
Love your take on this! I am in Houston and southern society presures us into marriage early and quickly. I happen to be one of the few women in this world born with a desire for motherhood, but without a biological clock. I, luckily, have really great parents that don’t pressure me at all!
I know of and hang out with a group of like-minded women aged late 20s to early 30s who would like to be married…..someday. I would rather not be part of the 50% that gets divoriced, so I want to make sure that I can spend the rest of my life with “the one” before we go and enter the covenant/contract of marriage. I want to be married and have children, but if it is biologically impossible, that’s fine, I’ll adopt.
Thanks for being the voice for those of us who are not interested in rushing into anything serious!
Interesting. I would say this makes it apparent that you are from the “coasts,” because I think here in the small-town midwest, we shoot for 25.
I LOVED this article. Seriously. I’m from Nebraska (no, I do not live on a farm, drive a tractor, or play in corn, I’m from the city), and even though I don’t live in the “country” part of NE, the pressure to get married young is still strong out here. I came across my future husband when we were 16, been friends forever, and dated less than a year before he proposed. We’re both about to be 26 and getting married in April. I am SO glad I waited til I was ready, b/c if I hadn’t, I would’ve ended up stuck w/ my loser ex. Society puts a great deal of pressure on women (not so much men), to get married and have kids young. Well… I don’t have kids yet, and I’m not sure if I want them. I focused on getting my bachelor’s degree and establishing a career (which is stil, unestablished), & I’ve been told MANY times that I ought to be at home (barefoot and pregnant) in the kitchen and cleaning house. UGH! What a great article. Finally someone takes note that you can have it all, without being on a timeline society has made for us. 🙂 Thanks,
~Abby, from the corn-fed state…