Courtship on the Clock: Can you make Mrs. by 28 and VP by 30?

It's vacation. I'm watching The View. And I've got to say, those old chit chats have a good opening topic today. Apparently, the New York Times just published the results of a study that found young adults no longer "date". Instead, we (the collective youth of America) "hook up," live together for an extended length of time and then maybe - and that's an increasingly large maybe - get engaged and married. Let's not even mention divorce rates.

"Under the old model, you dated a few times and, if you really liked the person, you might consider having sex. Under the new model, you hook up a few times and, if you really like the person, you might consider going on a date."

Now, I wouldn't say I'm a traditionalist per se, but there is a saddness to this increasing trend - a personal sadness. You see, dearest reader, the article goes on to say that the new way of doing things has more of an adverse effect for women than it does for men. Whereas we (the collective women of America) tire of "hooking up" - being "friends with benefits" - in our mid-twenties, men operate like the Enigizer Bunny: they just (if left to their own desires) keep going and going, playing the get-the-milk-for-free-and-possibly-the-whole-farm game.

So, what's the cause behind this semi-resurgence of free love? According to the study, the imbalance in the ratio of educated, career-minded women to men has a lot to do with it. You hear that, sisters (ref. second use of the collective "we": our desire to achieve outside of traditional gender roles has thrown off the traditional dating pattern. Who would've thought (-->insert sarcasm here<--)

I mean, sure, it may be a surprise to people 30+, but for me and young women I know it's an everyday reality. We - collectively - don't make time to be courted, wooed and swept off our feet. Just as our male counterparts, we want to make partner/vp/executive producer/some great title by the time we're 30. At the same time however, just like the not-so-fairer sex, we desire physical companionship. (And not in a sex addicted way, perhaps just in a hug or kiss every Tuesday kind of way :-)

So, what are we - and this time I mean 21st century Western society as a whole - suppose to do about this? How can we reach for our personal goals, as ever lofty and (aspirational) they may be, and still find time to create the foundation for a strong nuclear family by the time we can make out the outline of that corner office in the distance? I have no answers. What I do have is a long-distance boyfriend and a great desire for hugs on Tuesdays. If you've got an answer, let me know.

~The (Non-Hook Up Great Date) Aspiring Media Maven*