Love But Not Marriage

Recent statistics show there are 6.4 million happily unmarried couples in the United States; the most ever. Many couples have been in long term relationships without the need to get a ring or have a ceremony.

Most couples say that they are happy where they are right now, some blame financial reasons, and others just don't feel the need to take it to that next level.

Co-anchor Erica Hill chatted with psychotherapist Robi Ludwig, contributor to Care.com, and Brian Balthazaar, editor of Popgoestheweek.com to see why so many couples have decided to avoid the walk down the aisle.

Ludwig says that many people are choosing to get married older than in the past decades because they feel more mature, are in a better place financially, and are finally the person that they want to be.

"So it can be a good thing," said Ludwig. "If you get married young and you don't know who you are, the chances for that relationship lasting are slim."

More than ever before, couples are living together before getting married. While it may seem like a good idea in theory, this often backfires causing couples to split before they get to make the commitment.

"It was taboo not to live together or have sex before marriage," said Balthazaar. "Now it's like I can do that and not get married? What's wrong with that?"

Ludwig arees, "The pressure to get married isn't there. Also living together and being married are not one in the same thing; because the person who's living together knows they can get out easier."

For many people in this generation, the idea of marriage needs to be approached with caution.

"Marriage for a lot of people or some people doesn't always mean a positive thing," said Ludwig, "For certain people it means that it can make your relationship bad in some way, ugly, or even signify death to some people."

Bathalzaar supported Ludwig's statement by pointing out that many people these days have experienced divorce in some way, whether their parents got divorced, or a close friend's parents did, but it makes them cautious. Many don't want to go through the same experience that they witnessed when it comes to divorce.

And while movies and television shows still depict loving relationships and marriages in a certain way, Ludwig says that can be damaging to a relationship.

"This notion of a soul mate can be damaging because people compare their real relationship which has problems, difficulties, and challenges, to this idea of what love is supposed to be," explained Ludwig. "We don't talk about what relationships are supposed to be. You compare reality to fantasy and that can be quite dangerous for your relationship."

There are other problems that are leading to older newlyweds. People are getting high education and staying in school longer and longer, working harder, and waiting to start families. Women are getting new doors opened all the time when it comes to their biological clock, many women do not fret at all about having their first child at the age of 40.

But for whatever reasons, whether it is a longer span through adolescence or if marriage is just too expensive, many couples are waiting before they decide to put a ring on.