generation

The millennial generation is the generation that is roughly defined as those who were born between the early 1980s to the early 2000s. They are a generation who are getting married older and living together before marriage, completely different to the ‘baby boomer’ generation, those who were born between the mid-1940s and the mid-1960s.

In fact, those millennials who married in the 2000s are divorcing at even lower rates and if this trend keeps up, it is very possible that almost two-thirds of those marriages will be long term and not end up in divorce.

New research from vintage jewellery specialists William May has discovered that some of the oldest marriage proposal traditions are being left behind as couples take a more practical approach to getting engaged.

Surveying over 5,000 people in total, the company asked the following questions:

• Do women still want to be surprised with an engagement ring?
• Would a woman wear a ring she wasn’t happy with?
• Would a man exchange a ring if their partner wasn’t happy with it?
• Do men still ask for the father’s permission before proposing?

We discovered that: