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 The Rise of Situationships: Why Commitment is Becoming Less Common Among Gen Z and Millennials?  The Rise of Situationships:

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DESU chapter.

 

There aren’t many stable relationships at this time of day. Why do spouses expose each other on social media so their family and friends can see them criticizing each other? Why should your friends and family intervene in your relationship, potentially causing you and your spouse to lose faith in each other? Why keep someone around if you don’t see a future with them? 

People go through these situations daily, believe me, this is a sign of a situationship. Situationships can be defined as “ Romantic relationships with no clarity or label” according to the Verywellmind website. The texts also continued that situationship can include affection, sexual behaviors, and spending time together but also involve a low level of commitment. To whom should we question why we, Gen Z and Millennials settle for less while continuing to live in chaos with someone?

The source of“ THERESACLANCYLAW” states that Gen Z and Millennials are one of the generations that fear beginning  a romantic relationship. It states “ One expert believes Millennials ( born between 1981 and 1996) are delaying marriage because they see it as a risk”. As for Gen Z people that are born between 1997 and 2012 are unsure of commitment. Despite being two distinct generations, they share the difficulty of contributing to a romantic relationship without feeling uncertain.

In the article “ Why do Millennials Face Commitment Problems”? It identifies several causes for millennial’s fear of dating. Millennials frequently have “Emotional baggage and commitment phobia” when they first enter a committed relationship. It states “Some millennials may carry emotional baggage from past relationships, childhood experiences, or parental divorces, leading to commitment phobia. Past hurts and betrayals can create a reluctance to invest fully in a new relationship, fearing history will repeat itself.”

This demonstrates how millennials find it difficult to let go of the past and worry that it may happen to them again. The emotional baggage that millennials carry in their relationships can have a big impact on their partner. People can pass their pain and trauma to loved ones, driving them away while they still face unresolved issues.

Since millennials carry emotional baggage, Gen Z tends to follow the crowd and lacks clarity in their relationship. In this generation, Gen Z doesn’t put too much effort into wanting to be in a relationship. They rather go with the flow and wait till things change instead of having a serious conversation about what they want in the future. The article “ Why Gen Z Can’t Commit” captures that Gen Z loves to use the phrase “Seeing where it goes” and just to make sure we don’t reach the “ boyfriend-girlfriend” level, we invent random terms like situationship, talking stage, and roster for good measure.” 

Aside from the phrases Gen Z tends to use “Let’s go with the flow”, “ I’m chilling but I’m willing to get to know you” and “ I’m not ready for a relationship yet but I want to see how this going to take us far”. These phrases lead you to situations, without no clarity there’s not going to be a future between you and the person unless you all have a conversation to see where your all heads are at. 

There are many reasons why Gen Z and Millennials don’t want to be in a committed relationship. Toxic or unclear conduct in relationships should not be accepted in today’s culture. Understanding the perspective of both sides is crucial. People should recover from their past experiences and find the ideal person who fits their desires before attempting to enter into a relationship. Our perspective on relationships should never be influenced by the media or the lives of others. We should be honest about our desires and listen to our feelings. 

Hello, my name is Kiaira Wheeler. I’m from Washington DC. I am a junior attending Delaware State University. Currently a junior at Delaware State University. I am pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications, with a  minor in Digital Media. I am a member of the editorial staff for Her Campus at my college. I have roles within the editorial team at my college, in addition to fulfilling the role of program director for the school's radio station. Furthermore, I am responsible for executing the duties of the corresponding secretary position within the junior class board. Fun Fact about me is I like to write, cook, and watch 80s and 90s movies. My objective within the media sector is to actively support and promote the representation and empowerment of individuals from black and minority communities to amplify their voices. I think it's important to speak up for what you think is right and try to influence society. My primary areas of interest for media discussion include entertainment, education, and social injustice. My objective is to talk about the problems that are occurring and figure out how to solve them.