Deciding Factors for Marriage or Celibacy

Historically, it was a given that practically every man and every woman would marry at some point in their lives. Today, however, that is not always the case and more people than ever before are making the decision to stay single for their entire lives. For some people, this seems absurd and they can’t even fathom going through a lifetime without a partner to love and care for “until death do you part”. As most of us know, in today’s society, that happens far less than half of the time unfortunately, but that is another topic entirely.

Just because a person decides that they are not going to marry certainly doesn’t mean that they aren’t going to have romantic relationships during their lives. It also doesn’t automatically mean that they aren’t going to be intimate with partners whom they are not married to. However, there are some people who opt not to marry and also decide that they will remain celibate, not having sexual relations with any man or woman. These people are not all nuns or priests, as many of us would assume, either. There are average people who make the choice for celibacy with no religious belief involved.

There are many factors which assist a person in making their own, very personal, decision regarding whether they are going to get married or not, as well as whether that decision will include a commitment to celibacy. For the purpose of this article, we are going to assume that the person is deciding only between marriage and total celibacy and we will look at five of the factors that can contribute strongly to the decision that the individual will make.

Factor 1-Personal Goals

For some people, it all comes down to their own personal goals. There are those who have huge goals and dreams that they want to fulfill, with nothing standing in the way. They can look at this in one of two ways. First, being married, the person would have a partner who could help them along their path to dream fulfillment or second, they feel that having a marriage would take too much away from the time and freedom that they will need to achieve thier goals.

Factor 2-Children

For most couples who decide to get married, it is assumed that, if at all possible, there will be children that come from the marriage. If a person has no desire to have children, this can be a deciding factor against marriage and for celibacy.

Factor 3-Emotional Ties

There are certainly emotional ties that come with marriage, and they are probably the strongest ones in any person’s life. If a person enjoys having strong emotional ties, they are likely to desire getting married at some point and sharing this sort of bond with another person. For another person, however, that may not seem so appealing at all and he or she will likely opt out of marriage, where it is required to have a healthy and happy relationship.

Factor 4-Examples Seen

The examples that people see of other married couples, especially those of their own parents and other close relatives can have a huge impact on how they view marriage and thus, on whether or not they want to have that same experience in their own life.

Factor 5-Personal Health

Personal health is another factor that can determine whether someone decides to marry or opt for celibacy. Someone may have major health issues that make them feel that it would be unfair to be with another person, while others may want to “live life to the fullest” for the time that they have it. If choosing celibacy, there is, of course, the issue of sexual health that comes into the decision. There are so many diseases today that are transmitted through sex that this also is something one might consider.