How do you navigate societal pressures and expectations related to marriage when choosing to live a single and independent life?

[knight]

I don't want to get married completely by my own decision and I don't think I will for a long time, but I feel a lot of pressure from both my married friends and my family. Do any of you experience this situation and how do you manage it?

[asphaltrhymes]

I'm not 44 yet but I'm quite happy being single and unmarried at 29. Marriage doesn't interest me at all and definitely not procreating either.
I'm quite happy just to work, eat, sleep, repeats, pay my taxes, enjoy quality time with family and friends, and my hobbies and interests.
After all, why waste time i tell myself for a chick or chicks, when quality time with family, is a precious commodity. Health and happiness is all we need lol.
I just mean how you know, while i could be dating a woman or whatever, she'd probably take up a lot of time. And aging family relatives, I'd rather enjoy time with them and my friends whenever I've got spare time besides my own me time. Lol. 😎 After all, a chick could just dump me anyway, and what a waste of all that time, ahahaha, least I never waste my time on a chick but instead value time with family and friends 😁

[Billlewis]

I've had to deal with the negative innuendo about being single for a long time, but thankfully, it's no longer viewed the way it used to be. For me, the worst part of it was when the company I was working for had a party or banquet, etc. At one place I worked, I was literally the only guy who didn't have a wife or girlfriend, and I eventually just stopped going to company events. Living in a big city helps, because you tend not to receive as much scrutiny.

[Anonymous]

By realizing it's all in your head, no one cares if you're single or not. It's just a human curiousity and the desire to compare things, so by putting you down for being single they are actually trying to prove something to themselves that has nothing to do with you. Unless you give people a reason to think you are not happy being single, they have nothing to hold on to. Happiness trumps EVERYTHING, and they are just jealous they couldn't achieve it on their own.

[itsalyssaagain]

You just know what you want in life and you don’t care :)

[OlderAndWiser]

What do people do to “pressure” you other than expressing their opinions?

[Adam1978]

It's usually only your mom and perhaps grandmother that push those things. Other people are to busy with their lives to care what you do with yours.

[jamesgoldman]

I just remind them of my business and how it's made me jaded and cynical or the whole matter

[KrakenAttackin]

Tell these people "I will get married if you will pay for the divorce".

[DextroShade]

Just tell anyone asking that most women these days aren't wife material.

[Jamie05rhs]

Just be you and do your thing.

[Ur1local2bisexual]

Hey can u fallow me?