(The Daily Signal)—Is the next generation of romantic comedy viewers … boys?
Two recent surveys suggest that it’s younger men, not women, who are more focused on getting married and having children.
Seventy-four percent of 12th-grade boys say they will likely choose to get married, according to a November Pew Research Center analysis. In contrast, only about 6 out of 10 senior girls feel the same way.
Meanwhile, when young adults aged 18-29 were asked what they viewed as most important for having a successful life, men ranked getting married and having children higher than their female peers did in a September NBC News Decision Desk poll.
That disparity became even more stark when looking at women who voted for Kamala Harris compared to men who voted for Donald Trump. Among men who voted for Trump, having children was seen as the top indicator of success, while getting married was considered the fourth most important (out of 13 options).
Young women who voted for Harris had decidedly different priorities: They saw getting married as the 11th most important and having children as the 12th most important indicator of success. Harris’ young female supporters, instead, prioritized fulfilling careers, financial success, and emotional stability.
What is going on? Can we expect to see TLC launch a “Say Yes to the Tux” series? Will groomzillas become the new norm?
Whatever the reasons, it’s clear there’s a major cultural shift. In 1993, 83% of 12th-grade girls thought they’d be likely to choose marriage, as did 76% of 12th-grade boys. In other words, about 4 out of 5 12th-grade women planned to get married in 1993, and now only 3 out of 5 do.
If those 12th-grade girls are accurate Cassandras, it could have massive ramifications. Already, the U.S. marriage and birth rates are in significant decline—and it’s married women who are most likely to have children. The U.S. birth rate is currently 1.6 children per woman, a historic low and one that portends a declining population for our nation, which will bring economic and societal challenges.
But are these young women off base to be dubious about marriage?
I always wanted to get married—and yet I also always wanted a happy marriage, and to be with a husband I shared religious and moral values with and respected.
I ultimately didn’t marry until I was 37. If you had asked me during large chunks of my young adult years if I thought I was likely to choose marriage, I’m not sure how I would have answered.
As Reason’s Elizabeth Nolan Brown notes, the survey wording suggests that “most of the 22 percentage point drop in girls saying they want to marry reflects a rise in girls saying ‘no idea,’ not girls saying certainly not or probably not.”
When I was younger, I often felt like I was in some cruel numbers game that no amount of hopeful swipes on any dating app could necessarily overcome, just based on the stats. After all, a 2024 survey from Barna Group and Pure Desire Ministries found that 75% of Christian men viewed pornography. I noticed at church that it often seemed young women outnumbered the young men attending. (Although interestingly, new research suggests that men are now going to church more than women.)
I was open to dating and marrying a man who didn’t have a college degree, as the number of women with college degrees rapidly outpaced the number of men among millennials. But at least in my experience, I didn’t encounter a lot of men who had forgone college but had steady careers in say, construction or plumbing, and who also possessed a love of reading or podcasts or trivia.
And like many women, I was deeply uneasy over the manosphere surge. I completely agree that feminism is highly problematic, and that boys and men often receive unfair treatment in our modern culture. I had no issue with men who raised those flags. At the same time, I could not condone—or stomach—a man who would listen to some of the openly misogynistic blowhards who thrived in the ugly manosphere subculture. The answer to today’s unfair treatment of men is not to degrade and trash women.
So perhaps some of those 12th-grade girls are thinking along similar lines. Maybe they would prefer marriage—but not at any price, to any man.
Or perhaps they are thinking along entirely different lines. If the NBC News poll is accurate, maybe this isn’t about a scarcity of good men—but about a true values shift, where women no longer see marriage and children as critical to a fulfilling life.
That’s a shame—because there’s plenty of research that suggests women are ultimately likelier to be happy if they are married with children. Among married women with children, 19% were very happy, while among single women without children, only 10% were, according to an August Institute for Family Studies report. That same analysis also found that 47% of married moms found life enjoyable, compared to 34% of single, childless women.
Another study, the 2022 General Social Survey, also showed that marriage and children were correlated with happiness. Among women who were married with kids, 40% were very happy and 47% were pretty happy (87% total). Among unmarried women without children, 22% were very happy and 54% were pretty happy (76% total).
Of course, these numbers do demonstrate that some single childless women are happy. (I certainly had plenty of joy in my own single years.) Conservatives will only look foolish if they argue that happiness is incompatible with singlehood.
But what the data does show is women are more likely to be happy as married moms. That’s the message we should be giving to anxious young women—even as we simultaneously encourage marriage-minded young men to be the best men they can be.
Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
Advisor Bullion serves as a dependable source for straightforward, high-quality bullion. The company specializes in physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, emphasizing transparent pricing and products that deliver maximum metal content for every dollar spent. This approach makes it ideal for both personal holdings and retirement accounts.
Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
When keeping metals in a home safe or private vault, liquidity and efficiency count. Bullion offers clear benefits:
- You acquire more actual gold or silver per dollar invested. Numismatics divert a large share of your money into rarity premiums and massive sales commission, reducing your metal exposure.
- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
- Bullion enjoys worldwide acceptance. A 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf or Silver Eagle sells quickly to dealers anywhere. Niche numismatic pieces may appeal only to limited buyers, slowing liquidation when speed matters.
In times when quick access to value becomes important, bullion’s simplicity stands out.
Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.