Why Millennials Think Marriage Is a Lifetime Trap

Marriage has always been looked at as a stepping stone in a person's life where he/she is ready to take up responsibilities as an adult and start their own family. It is glorified and celebrated as a ritual of companionship and love.

On one hand we have LGBTQ+ fighting to make same sex marriages legal; while on the other hand you can see people filing for divorces and even committing suicides because of their disturbed marital life.

Change in Marriages

In the rapidly evolving society, the cultural and traditional nature of marriage is being questioned. One seeks support, stability and affection from their partner in a marital bond.

But in today's world, marriage rather than uplifting an individual, can result in their downfall due to emotional strain and financial burden. Globally, you can see an increase in the percentage of failed marital relationships.

The recent data from the National Family and Health Survey shows a 35% increase in divorce rates over the past five years. Some cases even result in extreme steps which makes the people even more hesitant to marry.

Why Women Don't Want to Marry

Marriages today are evolving, and partners must adjust to shifting gender roles and social conventions. In the modern times, women have learned that they need to be independent to live a happy and healthy life. 

Being socially, emotionally and financially independent, they know that they have the right to exercise their own choices.

So women at times choose not to settle as per the rules set by her husband's family, they can choose to be child free and ask for equal contribution in the household chores from her partner.

Problematic In-Laws

A lot of times many traditional families don't support this. Women have realised that if they got married they would have to do double work - at their workplace and at their homes. No doubt why the number one reason for divorce cases in India are problematic in-laws. 

It becomes frustrating and emotionally tiring for a woman to cope up with controlling in-laws and unsupportive husbands. Moreover, there is always fear of domestic violence in the minds of women in marriage. So an easy way out of this situation is no marriage at all.

Problems Men Face in Marriages

Now, you may start to feel that marriage brings problems only for women ;but No. The recent study shows that men are equally or even more scared than women about marriages. Some of the reasons can be commitment anxiety, loss of freedom, fear of making sacrifices and being manipulated by their wives. 

But ironically, the major reason why men are feeling the most scared is divorce. Our Law system generally favours a woman's side in divorce cases where she has the most chances of keeping the children and gets a huge sum of alimony from her husband. 

Women, at times, also use this to extract as much money as they want, while husbands have no other option left but to fall prey to the system.

Domestic Violence with Men

Men are also the victims of domestic violence. Although this problem is frequently disregarded, men can experience domestic abuse at the hands of their spouses. 

According to a survey conducted in India, 52.4% of married males report having experienced abuse of some kind, with 51.5% reporting that their partners had tortured or emotionally abused them. 

Approximately 10% of men worldwide experience intimate relationship violence, which includes both physical and sexual assault. Social stereotypes, fear of unfounded charges, and the absence of legal protection for male victims are some of the factors that contribute to underreporting.

Men Victims of Problematic Marriages - Recent Cases

This issue has always been there but it got the most amount of limelight after the Atul Subhash Case who committed suicide in December 2024. Atul, an IT techie from Bengaluru left a 90 minute long video and a long letter describing his years of struggle with his wife and the court hearings. 

After being emotionally and financially drained, he committed suicide as he couldn't take it anymore. When the case was reported, his wife got bail within 20 days. This case brought a lot of men’s attention and raised concerns about justice for men and men's mental health.

This is not the only case. Many other cases have also come up where there is verbal and emotional abuse and lack of social support. 

Like Delhi’s cafe owner Puneet Khurana was found dead amid an ongoing divorce and business dispute. His family alleges harassment by his estranged wife and in-laws, claiming the pressure led to his suicide.

Because of such cases, men have begun to think that all women are gold diggers and care only about money. All this has scared the younger generations because they don't want to fall victims to this partner's abuse.

Marriage - A Trap

Thus, the fear of a bad partner haunts everyone, be it a woman or a man. Both have equal tendency to ruin their respective partner’s life. 

All the cases around us are leaving a wrong impression in the minds of younger generations who don't see this as some necessary beautiful ritual, rather for them, it has turned into a trap of temporary engagement which leaves permanent scars.

Everyone is not an abuser but you never know who amongst us is. This fear of selecting a wrong partner has overtaken the joys of a happy marriage. 

People are unsure whether it is even worth taking a chance which might result in lifetime emotional trauma. What do you think? Do you want to get married? Are you willing to take this chance of happiness?

Final Thought

In the current scenario, there is a need for understanding and maturity from both partners and their families. Couples should be more supportive of each other, improve communication between them and also seek counselling services on marital dynamics. 

The law system needs to work to provide justice to the victim irrespective of gender bias. Moreover, don't try to ruin another person's life, he/she is or once was a major part of your life too.

Written by - Diya Sehrawat

Disclaimer - This article has been authored exclusively by the writer and is being presented on Eat My News, which serves as a platform for the community to voice their perspectives. As an entity, Eat My News cannot be held liable for the content or its accuracy. The views expressed in this article solely pertain to the author or writer. For further queries about the article or its content you can contact on this email address - diyasehrawat03@gmail.com