"We also have to be cautious in generalizing across generations. The Gen-Xers in our sample were deciding for or against marriage in a different cultural settin

"We also have to be cautious in generalizing across generations. The Gen-Xers in our sample were deciding for or against marriage in a different cultural setting than young adults today. In the past 30 years, for instance, norms against extramarital cohabitation have relaxed considerably." Given that the study only concerned women during a time period where stigma was even worse than it still is I find it hard to draw any conclusions from this. Choosing a more conventional lifestyle, regardless of what you as an individual genuinely want often takes so much pressure from you that it's hard to discern whether it is you or others who are happy about your decisions. I know a lot of women my age, early 30s, who do not want to marry or have kids but who still feel pressured by their parents. And that social pressure is enough to make them feel guilty or miserable. I think there's a difference between "success" as a consequence of reaping social rewards because you do what is expected of you and genuine individual freedom.