Marriage? Not til I am 30

Once women were only ever expected to get married and have children. Now it is 2012 and a new wave of independent women has emerged. Women are now putting off marriage to move forward in their careers. Some would argue that women have to work even harder, because men still make more than women despite the equal pay act. There is a “glass ceiling” if you will, which prevents women from getting where they want to be in a quick fashion. As, a result many women do not have time to date or plan for marriage and put it off.

However, some women are simply not into jumping into marriage for other reasons. I am one of those women. With the rate of successful marriages at an all-time low I am very apprehensive when it comes to getting married. While I have a happy relationship and a wonderful boyfriend I am not ready to get hitched. I am one of those women who have a lot of goals in life. I am not ready to settle down and have children. I am only 23 after all. Things have changed a lot from when my parents got married. By my age my mother was married and had one child. Yet, I have chosen to take a different path. I want to experience life, travel, meet fun people, and get an awesome internship, act, and write. I have so much I want to do before I am 30.

This lifestyle choice doesn’t come without its challenges. It requires open and honest communication with your partner. My boyfriend is well aware of my goals and the fact that I do not want rush into marriage. Sometimes we do argue over it, but it always comes down to it that it is a mutual choice between us. It is not that partners don’t care about each other or don’t feel passionate about one another either. The fact is that we don’t want to be another bad statistic. I come from a home with divorced parents so I know how difficult it can be.

I believe in making a plan and including your significant other into it. I want to achieve at least a big portion of my goals before I am 30. I do not want to revolve my whole life around being married and raising children. It is just not my thing. You have your whole life to do those things so why not just enjoy life a bit before making the plunge. Of course it depends on you and your situation. While the idea of a fabulous wedding is attractive, I think people should take their time more. You have your whole lives to be together, so what’s the rush? I am looking forward to seeing what this new wave of independent women will bring.