Ann Bailey
Young adults are still interested in having a happy life-long marriage. Survey after survey reflects this truth. Yet a “hook up culture” continues to flourish and that doesn’t bode well for the future of stable marriage.
So what’s a “hook up?” Here’s a simple definition: “No strings attached sexual involvement.” For those who would want further explanation, I invite you to watch an interesting report on the phenomena. It’s a two-part series you can see here and here.
One of the striking things to me occurs in the second part of the series where most of the young adults who participate in “hook ups” acknowledge that they do want to have a life-long satisfying marriage. So does having “hook ups” impact your future prospects for a successful marriage?
Take a look at the chart below.
Having two non-marital sexual partners cuts your chance of a successful marriage almost in half. Another not so well-known fact is that individuals who cohabit (live together) and then marry also increase their odds that they will not have a long stable marriage. (See: Guide to Family Issues: Cohabitation vs. Marriage: Part I | Part II )
But in this sex-saturated “sex positive” culture, you probably aren’t going to hear much about those statistics. What a tragedy.
