Half of 20-something males shun relationships

Research published this week reveals that half of men in their twenties are commitment-phobic. This compares with a decade ago, when only a third of young men stayed single.

Based on interviews with more than 10,000 people, the study by the Gender Institute at the London School of Economics (LSE) dispels the myth that the decline in marriage can be blamed on increasing numbers of couples choosing to live together.

There has also been a slight rise in the number of young women shunning serious relationships - a quarter have never cohabited, compared with under a fifth a decade ago. But the LSE findings show that while women are merely delaying commitment until later in life, increasing numbers of men are not settling down at all.

Roona Simpson, who carried out the study, said one possible reason for the dramatic rise in men rejecting meaningful relationships was the fact there was no longer a stigma attached to people who had not settled down into a long-term union.

Read the full article: Half of ‘twenty-something’ men shun relationships (Independent.co.uk)