.. does the general perception of marriage affect single people ..

Hi there! I think it is one's personal choice to get married or not to get marry. No doubt that marriage brings so many responsibilities along with it, but it also gives so many unique experiences in one's life, witch otherwise are not possible. Being single gives oneself independence to do anything anytime and as per his/her wishes, but deprives oneself many pleasures of married life. Younger age passes very quickly, for those who remain single, however, they start realizing need for a companion in their older age.

Not necessarily true. Every one thinks of problems like what you had highligted (divorce, children etc.) but it will not affect their choice of whether to get married to not. I've an aunt who insists on being single not because of the reasons that you've mentioned but because she's too involved in church work, so she doesn't have time to think of marriage. Another thing that you've highlighted is the age for marriage. Well, frankly speaking, there's no perfect age or standard age to do that. When couples have known each other well, trust and love each other, then they'll decide whether to marry or wait a little longer, though for women, it's more difficult to have a baby as they get older. Cheers!

In the past people got married and stayed together for the rest of their lives. Now many people are in a living together but not married sort of relationship. I think many single people think why bother to get married. They hear about many couples getting divorced. My own parents divorced when I was ten years old. My own marriage only lasted six years before we got married. I don't wish to get married a second time.