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Kassandra Crespin
Mrs. Duran
Intro to Writing 1010
17 November 2016
Staying Single and Not Marrying
People have been getting married for thousands of years. Nowadays, one of the biggest
reasons people get married is to express their love for one another. Marriage is typically a goal
for people in relationships and is seen as the next step in life. Even though people are still getting
married, there are a lot of people who would rather be single. According to a report, 25 percent
of millennials are likely to never be married (Murphy par.4). There are many point of views on
why staying single is the best option: there are some people who believe that being single is a
time you learn to love yourself, others think that marriage is outdated and lost its social allure,
and some think that people who are single have more meaningful lives. On the other hand, some
people think that marriage produces social order and cultural prosperity. These different opinions
make us wonder if it is better to stay single or get married?
One reason people think you should stay single is because they believe being single is
about cultivating a deep sense of self-love, awareness and respect (Kaiser par.4). Some people
believe that you can truly be yourself when you dont have to worry about someone else and
being single is the time you get to learn who you are as a person. Shannon Kaiser, writer of
Single by choice: Its a Real, Powerful Thing published on September 21, 2012 on
mindbodygreen.com, thinks you will get to know yourself when you dont have to hide your true

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self while being with someone. Kaiser discusses her previous relationships and losing herself
while trying to find love. Kaiser was so focused on trying to please her significant other, she
didnt worry about herself. By presenting her personal experience, she showed us how being
single could help you develop a deep sense of self-love.
Another reason people dont want to get married is because they think it is outdated. Meg
Murphy, writer of NowUKnow: Why Millennials Refuse to Get Married published on
bentley.edu, wrote that according to the recent Pew report, half of American adults believe
society is just as well off if people have priorities other than marriage and children. Murphy says
that those with lower levels of income and education lack what they deem to be a necessary
prerequisite. There are some people like Sarah Silverman, a famous comedian, who dont want
the government to be involved their love life. Marriage doesnt have the same allure as it used to,
and people think that there isnt much of a difference between getting married and just living
with a significant other. Murphy made me realize that it doesnt affect society if you dont get
married.
Other than getting to know yourself better and thinking marriage is outdated, there are
people like Jacinta Bowler, writer of Staying Single Might be Even Better for You Than Getting
Married published on August 8, 2016 on sciencealert.com, who believe single people have more
meaningful lives. Studies have shown that single people are closer with family members and
friends and have also demonstrated continued growth and development as an adult (Bowler
par.5). There are people who agree with Bowler and want to get rid of the stereotype that single
people are less worthy than their married friends. DePaulo, from the University of California,

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thinks that it is time for a more accurate portrayal of single people and believes that they have a
heightened sense of self-determination (Bowler par. 5). Bowler used a presentation by DePaulo
to show us the positive outcomes of staying single.
Although there are people who believe being single is the best option, there are people
like S. Michael Craven, writer of Why is Marriage Important? published on May 3, 2006
on battlefortruth.org, who believe marriage produces social order and cultural prosperity. It is a
lifelong commitment that restrains self-centeredness, self-indulgence, and self-gratification and it
is the one relationship that effectively prepares and conditions us for community (Craven par.1).
Craven believes marriage ceases to restrain self-centeredness, which he claims harms society.
Along with helping society, he views marriage as connecting on a spiritual level. People grow up
being told that marriage is a part of their religion, so they believe being married is better than
staying single. Craven made me realize that even if marriage has lost its allure to some people,
there are still others who think that marriage is the main goal in life.
Everyone has a different opinion on marriage based on their beliefs, how they grew up, or
from previous relationships. Some people think being single is better because it is the time when
you can truly get to know yourself, marriage is outdated and your single years can be you most
productive years while trying to explore what you want to do with your life. Others still like the
idea of getting married and dream of that special moment their whole life.
There are many point of views on marriage and I only looked at a couple. I want to know
more peoples point of view and why they view marriage a certain way. I want to know why

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marriage has changed from forming alliances and preserving power to marrying for love. By
reading more articles I would be able to find the answers to my questions.

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Works Cited
Bowler, Jacinta. "Staying Single Might Be Even Better for You Than Getting Married."

Science Alert. N.p., 8 Aug. 2016. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

Craven, S. Michael. "Why Is Marriage Important?" Battlefortruth. N.p., 3 May 2006. Web. 17
Nov. 2016.
Kaiser, Shannon. "Single by Choice: It's a Real, Powerful Thing." Mbg. N.p., 21 Sept.
2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
Murphy, Meg. "NowUKnow: Why Millennials Refuse to Get Married." Bentley University. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.