What is a millennial? Millennials range anywhere from being this year’s high school graduating class to the 30-something-year-old temp at the office. By definition, a millennial is someone born within the 1980’s or 1990’s, making all millennials currently 18-33 years old. What makes millennials so important to today’s society is their opposition to traditional familial beliefs. While opposition among newer generations is nothing new, millennials are challenging and maybe even changing marriage ideals faster than any generation has done before.

Fifty or sixty years ago marriage looked a bit different. There was a husband and a wife and a happily ever after but all with a more youthful glow. According to an article by Bentley University, the average age to get married in 1960 was 20 for women and 23 for men. According to that same article, the current age has risen to 27 for women and 29 for men. The question for millennials now is, why the wait?

For many, the issue isn’t about emotional commitment. In fact, according to Pew Research (analysis of Current Population survey data) about 25 percent of unmarried millennials aged 25-34 years old are living with a significant other. What is hindering couples from saying "I do" is economic instability.

Starting with the Silent generation (ages 69-84), there had been a consistent pattern of young people marrying around the same age regardless of socio-economic background. Far more couples today would rather wait until they are financially stable to get married and start a family than those in generations past. A 2013 Gallup survey found that the third most frequently mentioned reason that unmarried youths in America gave for being single was finances. It’s not that millennials can’t or don’t want to find "the one" or that marriage is ruled out completely, it’s that there are more things to consider now. According to the Bentley University article, about 70% of millennials still want to get married some day.

For every statistic, there is always an exception. Take Kaitlyn Greco for example. Kaitlyn is 24 years old and freshly engaged. She and her fiance have been together since high school – six years altogether. Kaitlyn explained that aside from the undying love she and her fiance have for each other, their push for engagement was timing, financially that is.

“We were in a good place in our lives, we both just got permanent jobs,” Greco said. Kaitlyn isn’t the only exception.

Dakota Jordan, a 24-year-old student at Stony Brook University, has a similar story. Dakota and her husband had been together for 2-3 years before they began conversations about marriage, conversations that revolved mainly around finances.

“Being in a non-monogamous and queer relationship, things were very different for us than other couples.” Dakota said, but like many other couples, the thought of finances still loomed. Dakota said that she and her husband had wanted to move in together for a while, but she had no job to contribute to rent and school to pay for. They agreed that the most logical solution was to get married.

The mindset of millennials is more self-centered than other generation and that is not a bad thing. Rather than rush into a marriage while they’re young, many twenty-somethings would rather wait on career and financial stability before taking the leap. This mindset is rapidly changing the idea of marriage itself.

Starr Giscombe, a senior at Stony Brook University, said that she understands why so many couples wait. Giscombe says that with young adults feeling more and more independent, marriage has moved from being a need to a want. Many millennials are currently in the same boat, neck deep in student loan debt. It makes more sense to them, to deal with their debts before getting married rather than having their partner's debt to deal with.

Although marriage rates are declining, hope isn’t lost for millennials. Stony Brook University sophomore, Elan Bronshtein said he wants to know he’s ready to settle down by the age of thirty, and he’s not alone. Plenty of millennials are in committed relationships and ready to take the next leap forward, they’re just waiting for their finances to catch up.