Does Every Marriage Need a Prenup?

"Prenups have gone from a tool of the ultra-wealthy, carrying a whiff of scandal, to a more widespread request for aspirational young couples with few assets. The staff writer Jennifer Wilson spoke with the celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser, and found that generations who grew up in the era of universal no-fault divorce "just don't trust marriage" as their elders did; "they want it in writing," and they have developed apps that make it easy."

"Clauses calling for non-disparagement on social media are a common feature. But the boom in prenups, Wilson tells David Remnick, has led to couples trying to negotiate even intimate issues such as frequency of sex and body-mass index. Wilson's " Why Millennials Love Prenups" appeared in the December 29, 2025 & January 5, 2026, issue of The New Yorker. New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday."

Prenuptial agreements have shifted from a tool of the ultra-wealthy to a common request among aspirational young couples with limited assets. Younger generations that grew up during universal no-fault divorce exhibit less trust in lifelong marriage and seek formal, written agreements. Digital tools and apps simplify creating and signing prenups. Clauses addressing social-media non-disparagement are frequently included. Prenups increasingly cover intimate personal matters, with couples negotiating terms such as frequency of sex and body-mass index. The phenomenon reflects changing expectations about marital permanence and the desire to codify rights and obligations before marriage.

Read at The New Yorker