Gen Z and Millennial couples sign significantly more prenups than older partners, with 41% of engaged or married Gen Zers (and 47% of Millennials) saying they’ve signed one. Clearly, prenups are no longer a fringe option: Axios reports that 50% of U.S. adults are open to signing one.
This campaign will consider why an increasing number of Gen Z and Millennial couples sign prenups before they get married. We’ll look at prenup popularity over the years, age, gender, and economic factors, and how prenups have influenced U.S. divorce rates.
Let’s start by clarifying exactly what a prenup is.
Understanding Prenups Plus Associated Trends
A prenup (or prenuptial agreement) is a legally binding document that protects both parties if a marriage dissolves. As the name suggests, one of the defining features of a prenup is that it’s signed before a wedding takes place. A prenuptial agreement establishes who owns any assets and debts in case of separation, divorce, or the death of a spouse.
Although prenups are often thought of as cynical and as baking in premature divorce conversations before marriage has even begun, their cultural cachet has grown.
This is partly due to increasing levels of financial transparency and a rising average marriage age (currently 32 years). In short, prenuptial agreements are quickly becoming normalized.
According to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 62% of divorce attorneys reported a rise in prenups between 2013 and 2016. In 2010, just 3% of married or engaged couples had a prenup.
A 2022 Harris Poll found that 42% of U.S. adults support prenups, while 35% of unmarried respondents said they would probably sign one. The support rate has risen substantially from around 8% in the 1990s and is twice as high among couples aged under 45.
Public Perception
Generally, people remain divided regarding the merits of a prenup. Data from The Knot suggests that 46% of couples consider prenups to be a smart financial move, while 20% see them as cynical and 17% feel they’re not needed.
Gen Zers and Millennials are driving growing prenup popularity. Ally research found that 26% of Gen Z respondents had signed a prenup, while 30% considered one before marriage.
Why Prenups Are Popular With Gen Z and Millennials
Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z grew up with routine, everyday internet access and a gradually destigmatized impression of divorce, through a combination of public information and personal experience. As a result, many put a strong emphasis on transparency in relationships.
Pew Research Center data tells us that the U.S. divorce rate peaked in 1980, just prior to the arrival of the Millennial generation. Growing up around high divorce numbers (and often in families that were directly affected) has influenced how younger people approach marriage. While 85% of Boomers were raised by both parents, for Millennials, the figure is 62%, with 45% of married Boomers eventually getting divorced.
Compared with earlier generations, Gen Z puts high importance on emotional openness, financial stability, and confidence in a relationship’s chances of a long-term future before heading down the aisle.
According to Northwestern Mutual’s 2023 Planning & Progress Study, 25% of Gen Zers believe conversations about money should occur after the initial dating stage but before a relationship gets serious, while 38% think such conversations should occur after becoming serious but well before marriage or cohabitation.
Marriage is still a goal for many: 78% of Gen Zers expect to be married at some point, and 81% believe that it has value. Nonetheless, prenups are increasingly common among young adults. The 41% of engaged or married Gen Z adults who report having a prenuptial agreement is a huge advance on the 3% of couples who did likewise in 2010.
Research from Ally found that Gen Z and Millennial men (37%) are more likely than women (27%) to view prenups as an important part of wedding planning.
A Law Depot survey (involving 547 participants) found that the following are the most common motivating factors for those looking to strike a prenuptial agreement.
Clearly, financial issues are high on the prenup agenda, and as further data shows, it’s often a key factor.
Finances, Debt, and Millennial Prenup Trends
Money plays an increasingly important role in modern relationships. Recent data from Credit Karma suggests that around a third of Gen Zers (33%) and Millennials (31%) have called time on a relationship due to financial issues.
Debt is another key consideration. Pew Research Center data tells us that the share of people aged between 25 and 29 with student loans increased from 28% in 1992 to 43% in 2022. Over the same period, the average inflation-adjusted student loan debt rose from $6,000-$7,000 to around $16,000.
Several generational trends have contributed to increased Millennial interest in prenups.
Delayed Marriage
The average age of people when they first get married has risen to 30 for women and 32 for men.
Career Focus
Many millennials prioritize their career or business pursuits, often entering marriage with significant assets or debt.
Homeownership
Increasing numbers of people buy homes independently (or with partners) before they get married.
Blended Families / Remarriage
Higher rates of remarriage and blended families lead to more complex financial situations.
Financial Independence
Millennials are highly committed to transparency, autonomy, and protecting their savings.
Other Key Factors: Emotional, Age, and Gender Disparities
Research from Law Depot suggests the prenup experience is generally positive. Of those who’ve signed a prenuptial agreement and who were canvassed:
- 90% felt responsible
- 74% felt in control
- 64% felt respected
- 64% felt connected
- 62% felt loved.
Only 8% of respondents said they felt offended after signing a prenup: 77% said they were not offended, while 15% felt neutral.
Prenup Regret
Among married respondents, 29% expressed regret that they hadn’t signed a prenup. Regret was more common among women (33%) than men (26%).
Older respondents were significantly less likely to regret avoiding a prenup.
- 76% of people over 65 had no regrets, as did
- 58% of people aged between 55 and 64
- 56% of people aged between 45 and 54
- 45% of people aged between 35 and 44
- 22% of people aged between 25 and 34.
Regarding the initiation of a prenup:
- 59% suggested one partner was disproportionately motivated
- 41% said both partners were equally committed to a prenup.
Among those who signed a prenup, 82% of men said they initiated the discussion, compared with 60% of women. 24% of men said they’d be uncomfortable asking for or signing a prenup, versus 20% of women. 18% of women said they’d be happy to sign but not initiate a prenup, compared with 12% of men.
These trends reflect shifting financial dynamics in relationships. According to the Pew Research Center, the proportion of women in opposite-sex marriages who earn as much as or more than their husbands has tripled over the past half-century.
Are Prenups For Affluent People?
Support for prenups tends to rise with income and education. A 2022 Harris Poll found that 42% of Americans earning $100,000 or more say they would sign a prenup.
Similarly, college graduates were significantly more likely than those in possession of no more than a high school education to sign a prenup (44% vs. 36%).
A Law Depot survey found that the highest level of prenup regret (41%) was among respondents who earned $50,000-$99,000 a year. By comparison, only 17% of those earning more than $100,000 were similarly regretful.
When asked whether prenups are only for the wealthy:
- 64% said prenups are suitable for everyone
- 18% said they are most beneficial when one spouse is significantly more wealthy
- 10% believed they are primarily for equally wealthy couples
- 8% were unsure.
Understanding Prenups
Study data suggests that many Americans (65%) don’t feel confident that they can understand a prenup without professional help.
Confidence increases with income. Just 21% of respondents who earned under $25,000 felt confident they could interpret a prenup without legal help, compared with 58% of those who earned more than $200,000 a year.
Among respondents who had signed a prenup, attitudes toward legal help also differed by level of wealth. Every lower-net-worth respondent supported mandatory separate legal reviews per spouse, compared with just 33% of higher-net-worth respondents.
Debt and Younger Generations
Personal debt is a major driver of prenup interest among younger adults. According to a 2025 Newsweek poll, Gen Z is burdened with the highest average personal debt ($94,101), followed by Millennials ($59,181) and Gen X ($53,255). Prenups are seen as a means of clearly assigning responsibility for student loans, credit card balances, and medical debt accumulated before marriage.
Broader financial attitudes also seem to be shifting. Research led by George Barna found that the share of Gen Z adults who favor socialism over capitalism increased from 22% to 39% over the past four years.
Divorce Rates and Prenups
In modern-day America, couples are marrying later in life. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that in 2024, men married at a median age of 30.2, while women were 28.6, up around seven years in both cases (23.1 for men and 21.1 for women) from figures in 1974. More years before marriage allows more time to build a career, have children (often from an earlier relationship), and accumulate assets. In all cases, this adds financial and legal complexity.
In 2024, the U.S. recorded 2,390,482 marriages and 986,810 divorces: that’s a marriage-to-divorce ratio of 2.42, the highest since records began in 2008. The proportional divorce rate has declined since 2000: from 4 per 1,000 people to 2.3 per 1,000 in 2024 (according to CDC data). By December 2025, for the first time in the U.S., fewer than half of U.S. homes featured married couples.
Yet regional divorce rates significantly vary. The National Center for Family & Marriage Research (NCFMR) suggests that Oklahoma (20.7 per 1,000 married women), Nevada (19.9), Mississippi (19.2), Wyoming (18.7), and Alabama (18) have the highest divorce rates. Maine occupies the lowest ranking position with a rate of 10 per 1,000.
Prenuptial law varies from state to state. The Uniform Law Commission’s 1983 Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (UPAA), updated in 2012, augments rules regarding disclosure, voluntariness, and legal counsel. Twenty-nine states plus Washington, D.C., have adopted one of these frameworks: the remainder rely on state-specific stipulations.
How property is divided also differs, with nine states following community property rules (including California, Texas, and Arizona) and a 50/50 split of marital assets. The remaining states use a means of distribution based on fairness rather than equality.
Although prenups are recognized in all 50 states, how they’re enforced varies. Courts may override agreements that violate local public policy, and fourteen states apply ‘second look’ rules to reassess fairness during a divorce. A carefully drafted choice-of-law clause can specify when a state’s law takes precedence.
Gen Z, Millennials, and Prenups
Gen Z and Millennial couples are increasingly using prenuptial agreements, and about 50% of U.S. adults are now open to the idea. A prenup (a legal agreement signed before marriage that defines how assets and debts are handled in the event of divorce or death) is becoming more common as couples marry later and negotiate complex finances.
Research shows prenup usage has clearly risen during recent years, with 46% of people viewing prenups as smart financial planning. That said, significant shares still see them as unnecessary or cynical, and just over half of Gen Z and Millennials still say they are unlikely to use one.
Compared with earlier generations, Gen Z puts high importance on emotional openness, financial stability, and confidence in a relationship‘s chances of a long–term future before heading down the aisle
Prenup costs vary widely. Although the typical baseline cost is around $8,000, legal fees and complexity can push this higher.
Generational differences may in part explain the rising use of prenups. Gen Z and Millennials grew up with higher exposure to divorce, greater financial transparency, and later marriage ages, leading many to prioritize financial planning and openness. Student debt, career-building, and homeownership before marriage also increase financial complexity, meaning prenups are nowadays more relevant than ever.
Financial factors strongly shape attitudes: high-income and college-educated individuals are more likely to support prenups, while lower-income groups report more regret for not having one. Most respondents believe prenups are suitable for everyone, though many lack the confidence to pursue one without legal help.
Although legal frameworks vary across states, prenups are nationally recognized, with enforcement depending on state-specific rules and public policy considerations. Ultimately, study data suggests that the continual growth or stagnation of prenups will largely depend on public perception, career strain, financial worries, and how younger generations feel about marriage.
Whether you want it to happen or not, divorce is overwhelming. To ensure you’re protected and know how to proceed, you need to get the right information so you can take steps early on in your case to set you up for success. Fortunately, you can get the guidance you need from a divorce lawyer in Seattle from our team at Dellino Family Law.