“It’s actually probably easier to meet people now than ever before, if you think about all of the incredible technologies we have to connect,” says Eric Klinenberg, a sociology professor at New York University and the author of Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone. “But one big issue is people today are really looking for their soul mate," he says, "and they’re not going to compromise.” In addition to holding out for a soul mate, Klinenberg says many people aren’t settling down with someone because of society’s changing culture. Americans may not be embracing the institution of marriage as they used to, but that doesn’t mean they are giving up on relationships. In a 2013 Pew Research Center survey, 88% of Americans cited love as a very important reason to get married, ahead of making a lifelong commitment (81%) and companionship (76%). From online dating, to remarriage, to cohabitation, here are five facts about the state of love and marriage in the U. Fewer (28%) said financial stability was a very important reason to marry. In our hearts, if not in our heads, we’re convinced that love will always trump practical concerns such as money, social class, race and even gender. And what about age as it relates to older women involved with younger men? Though men have been enjoying May-December romances forever, women haven’t been afforded the same freedom necessarily. “It turns out people who live alone are actually more likely to volunteer in civic organizations than people who are married,” he says.
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