maximum girlfriends

[cooljack23]

How many relationships are considered normal before getting married?

[FredEire]

I don't think there's any "normal". One person might have 0, another might have 20. It all depends on your path in life.

I'd say the "norm" is maybe to have 1 or 2 serious partners and marry the second or third person you're with long term, but you have to do you. There's no right or wrong just people figuring things out in their own way.

[Gebidozo]

There is no magic number. Some people make it work permanently only after having been in 1-2 long-term relationships before committing for life. Others need to go through more in order to become the best versions of themselves and fully figure out what they really want.

Based on my own experience and the lives of people I’m closely familiar with, I’d say an average of 3-4 long-term relationships plus 7-8 shorter and less significant connections (excluding one night stands and casual sex) is what appears “normal” to me.

At the age of 49, I’ve had 6 relationships that lasted longer than 2 years each. Those include marriages, but I don’t count them as “true marriages” simply because we signed specific documents. A major reason for the failure of those marriages was my lack of sufficient prior experience. 

My personal conviction is that each person must go through as many relationships as they need to without being pressured or coerced into life commitment. I’d even say that a higher number could be more reliable than a lower one, because the chances of learning from past experiences grow with each subsequent attempt.

[Els]

There's a wide range out there, and what is "normal" depends on the culture you live in. Where I grew up, it wasn't uncommon for people to marry their first bf/gf, and more than 3 was considered extremely unusual. Where I currently live, I'd say the "norm" is something like 3-10.

More importantly, why does it matter?

[smackie9]

I think it's more about behaviour rather than numbers...like if someone jumps from relationship to relationship in a short amount of time, I would say that's a red flag.