Embrace Unconventional Romance

■ Lockdown hit Gen Z at exactly the wrong time. For instance, it barely affected me because I’m a grumpy old bald man who wants to be at home all day anyway. But your teens and early twenties are supposed to be a time of wild adventure.

Or perhaps not? Even before lockdown, Gen Z were relatively chaste. One research paper from last year revealed that, while 38% of young adults were having casual sex in 2007, this had dropped to just 24% a decade later. And, according to research body YPulse, fewer and fewer are looking for a long-term relationship.

One workaround Gen Z have found is ‘the situationship’. Rather than jump two-footed into a full-blown relationship, a situationship is an exploration of the grey area that comes before things are formalised. You’re not quite friends, but you’re not quite a couple. You spend time together, and have sex, but there are no expectations. You might not have a strong romantic bond and there may very well be other people involved. You have a situationship.

This isn’t necessarily something that will last for the rest of their lives. Sooner or later, Gen Z will start having kids, and God knows situationships are hard enough to explain to other adults. And, judging by some of the young people I spoke to, the lack of clarity that comes with a situationship’s ever-shifting rules can be exhausting. Here’s the key: they only really work if both (or all) of the people involved are open about how they feel. But, then, isn’t that the case with any relationship?

Be More Z

■ If you’re dating, try to enjoy it. Why rush to label things?

■ Be honest with your partner about what you actually need from your relationship.

■ If you’re already married, there’s a chance it’s too late for you. Sorry.