Marriage used to be the entry point into adult life. One of the first steps. Today marriage has become the culmination of adulthood, the final step after a long run of individual experiences. People are expected to first build careers, live alone, travel, date for years, and only then settle into marriage. Marriage went from foundation to trophy. It is no longer the stabilizing base that anchored young people early, but an almost luxury milestone once life is already sorted out. Which is precisely why it’s rarer now.