I'm in my early 20s, female, and I know I never want to get married. I want to be in romantic relationships, but I really don't want to get married. Every time I think about trying to get into dating again, I think, well how am I supposed to explain that I don't want to get married if the relationship goes long term. I mean, it feels almost selfish to me to 'waste' someone's time in a relationship if they want to get married and I don't . It's not like it's 'normal' to begin a relationship by saying you do or do not want to get married because it's assumed you do eventually. I don't want to get married ever and I'm not sure how to make that clear to any potential people I date, or even how to bring it up.

I never had this problem before because in high school, no one was getting into a relationship to get married, and we could just break up if things weren't working out. One of the main reasons I don't want to get married is because if things aren't working out, I want an easy out for both of us. Just because our relationship ended does not mean it 'failed.' I still look on fondly at some of my past relationships and smile. We didn't break up because we hated each other, it was just time to move on, and I'm still close friends with some people I used to date, and we don't find it weird at all. But I think if we were forced to stay together or had to go through a long period of divorce we would probably start resenting each other and I don't want that. I want an easy out when the natural end to the relationship comes.

I just wish marriage wasn't a thing at all, then I wouldn't have to deal with this weird place I'm at with relationships. It's assumed everyone eventually wants to get married, and I hate that because I know I don't want to get married at all and it's hard to explain to people.

Any advice or experiences you share will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!