The Brunswickan, February 2025
Within the last several years throughout the western world, there has been a noticeable uptick in polyamorous or otherwise non-monogamous relationships. Anecdotal observations of polyamory’s rising popularity are increasingly commonplace, and these kinds of relationships are more accepted than ever before. Yet is that the only factor responsible for its growth? Cultural tolerance from broader society certainly allows those who want more open relationships to do so publicly without feeling forced to hide a part of their life. It is not a coincidence that LGBTQ2+ individuals are far more likely to participate in or accept non-monogamous relationships given their shared history of political and legal persecution.
Many others though, have started to point to the material conditions afforded to younger generations as the primary influence. People in the age range of traditionally getting married and starting a family have been consistently saddled with stagnant incomes and rising debt for decades now. The ramifications of the Great Recession and the wealth transfer from the working class to the ultra-rich it facilitated in the late 2000s can still be felt over 15 years later. With dismal housing markets alongside price gouging and inflation for most of the 2020s so far, it is not unreasonable to question how these larger economic forces may be impacting what kinds of lifestyles are ideal or accessible.
