A friend of mine and I were recently talking about this and came to the conclusion that there is no longer a positive reason to be an “adult”.
Back in the times of our grandparents, there were sectors of society (lodges, etc.) that one could only gain entry to if one was deemed an adult. It was an exclusively adult realm and thus may have made getting a wife to keep up appearances more desirable.
Since the times of the boomers and trend of making almost every aspect of society “family friendly”, those exclusively adult realms have essentially ceased to exist.
So, what is the real draw in having a soulsucking 9 to 5 job, wife who hates you, kids who drain all your cash, and an avalanche of societal obligations? The alternate, which is staying single longer (i.e. “not growing up”) becomes a lot more attractive.