What's The Ideal Age To Marry?
To marry or to wait: that is the question. Is there a "right" age to tie the knot?
The facts: According to USA Today, Americans are getting hitched later than ever—the 2007 census put the median marriage age at 25.6 for women and 27.5 for men. In 1890, when the census started tracking the stat, it was 26 for men and 22 for women. Marriage ages reached a low in the early 60s when the median was 22 for men and 20 for women. Since then we've been waiting longer and longer to say "I do."
To wed or to wait: that is the question. Not surprisingly, there are good arguments for both sides. If you marry when you're young you have more people to choose from, you're at prime age to have kids and you get to spend your 20s—the time when you grow into your adult self—with your partner.
Waiting until your late 20s or early 30s means you'll be more mature when you make your decision, and you'll probably be financially stable—important if you want children. However it also means (for most people) waiting for said kids, and getting pregnant can become more difficult as you age. Finally, as women in their late 30s know well, taking your time means potential Mr. Rights may be off the market.
So is there an ideal age to tie the knot? Researchers haven't reached a consensus. A sociologist in Texas is running a study that says couples who marry in their early 20s are more satisfied and less likely to end up in splitsville than those who drop anchor in their late 20s and 30s. But in 2007 a Penn State sociologist published a book in which he reported that people who marry in their 30s, as opposed to their 20s, are less likely to think about divorce and more likely to do things together as a couple.
USA Today readers feel passionately about the subject: over 500 people have chimed in with their experiences and thoughts. YourTango readers, what do you think? Is there an ideal age to marry, and if so, what is it?
Discussion
I would really like to know more information about the book referenced by the Penn State professor of sociology. I'm writing a book on this topic - 30 Reasons NOT to Marry Before 30 - www.30reasons.com. thank you!
Hmm...what about all of those "high school sweethearts" who are together for so long that they eventually marry each other? I know plenty of couples who have only dated each other. I think that although there are more fish in the sea in your early 20's, people tend to have less experience because they only date a little bit. In your late 20's/early 30's you're more likely to have been around the block a couple of times, so you know who is out there and what you want.