Savionaires set the trend, not follow the trend, since we live a luxury green lifestyle. Back in 1993, I discussed marriage with my first long-term boyfriend. However, we broke up after dating a year and a half. Three years later, I met my second (and last) long-term boyfriend. Instead of getting married, we lived together for two and a half years before breaking up. I chose to “shack up” in 1996 because I felt that marriage was a dying institution, and I predicted that a large percentage of couples were going to start opting to live together as opposed to getting married. Ten years later, in 2006, I came to the conclusion that I enjoyed being single more than in a full-time relationship because of freedom and flexibility.
Fast forward 5 years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of married households has declined to a record low of 48% and 50% of the adult population is now single. These statistics confirm that the trend has moved to more adults choosing domestic partnerships or singledom.
Since the week of September 19th was National Singles Week, there has been a lot of buzz about Generation X, specifically women, choosing to be single. However, what society and the media are overlooking is it’s more about the relationship than status. Technically, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kurt Russell, and Goldie Hawn are all single/divorced. However, their status is not as relevant. What is relevant is the fact that they are all in a relationship that resembles marriage. On the other hand, Hugh Hefner, Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, and Warren Buffet had a status of “married,” but since they were not in a relationship with their wives, they resembled single men.
The point I am making is there is a huge difference between being single and in a relationship, single and not in a relationship, married and in a relationship with your spouse, and married and not in a relationship with your spouse (as displayed perfectly in the 1994 movie Married People, Single Sex). Right now, the focus is more on being married or single as opposed to which kind of married or single you are. For example, the majority of adults when meeting someone new first ask, “Are you married or single?” Then they inquire about relationships. Remember, savionaires set the trend, not follow the trend. Therefore, we just set the trend of FIRST ASKING, “Are you in a relationship?” since it’s MORE about the relationship than status.
Thema’s Tip: Please note that I am NOT against marriage. As Sean Garland, a single engineer living in Atlanta, pointed out to me, “Marriage is not better than being single; it’s just different.” Being the product of a married-until-death couple, I saw the benefits of marriage, especially in regards to children. However, status is what you make of it. Do you prefer marriage, singledom, or domestic partnerships?
Photo Credit: Nuttakit