I ran across an article in the USA Today talking about what the best age is to get married. It discusses pros and cons of getting married early vs. getting married later and cites several studies. The avg. age that men and women get married at has been rising for decades Here is an excerpt from the article:
Others are also holding off while maintaining a single-but-together status that can last years. That may be one reason the age at first marriage has been climbing steadily for all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The median age is now the oldest since the U.S. Census started keeping track in the 1890s: almost 26 for women and almost 28 for men.
And as young people wait longer to marry, there is growing debate over whether waiting is a good idea, and if so, how long is best. Those who advocate marriage in the early to mid-20s say that’s the age when the pool of possible mates is larger, it’s when couples can “grow up” together and it’s prime for childbearing. But others favor the late 20s or early 30s, saying maturity makes for happier unions and greater economic security “” both of which make divorce less likely.
If single, at what age, if any, do you hope you’ll marry and why then? If married, how old were you when you wed and do you think you were too young, too old? How many years should two people know each other before marrying?
I don’t think there’s an age “cut off” to get married… I’m 30 & people always say “you’re not married yet?!” Ummmm, no & thanks for making me feel as if I’ve missed something. Hell, I know people that aren’t even 30 yet & have been married, divorced & remarried already. Why? Because they got married for all the wrong reasons. Forget that. I’ll wait…
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I married at 24 years old. I don’t believe that I was too young since I have been independent most of my life.
There’s no exact age to get married, my sister is 36 years old and single.
My goal was 26 but I’m 26 now with no prospects in sight. I think marrying mid-20s is probably best becuase by this age most have gotten most of their schooling out of the way and are starting to get steady and you aren’t completely set in your ways yet. I’m finding that the older I get the more “requirements” I have for a potential mate. As I get to know my self more the amount of things that I’m willing to deal with/ compromise on in a relationship lessens.
In regards to how long people should know each other before marrying, my dad always told me a man know within a year. I was with a man for 5 years and at the end of the 5 years I was still unsure about whethor he was the right one for me. Also 5 years really isn’t that long when you are young. Both of us were in the process of getting our own lives together, in terms of education, etc., and so marriage was farthest from both of our minds. However, becuase I feel I am finally “ready” for marriage I am unsure if I would be able to endure 5 years again, without marriage.
I’m 25, never been married and has no desire to be married. I feel like I’m still having fun. I’m not ready for marriage. I believe you don’t have to wait years. When you’ve met the right person, you will know. It doesn’t take years to figure that out, at least that’s what I’ve observed.
I think it’s better to wait till your in mid to late 20’s. I got married when I was 19, which was way too young and divorced him when I was 24. Luckily, I was smart enough to stay in college and still finished when I was 22 and didn’t have any children with that idiot.
I married my current husband when I was 27. I’m 30 now, and one of my biggest regrets is getting married so young, and not having that typical college experience. My husband is the best and I’m so glad that I met him cause he totally renewed my faith in men.
I think waiting till your mid to late twenties or thirties is okay. I’d rather wait for the right one than marry some sorry-a** man that you’ll end up divorcing a few years later.
I don’t think their is a right or wrong age to get married, just do it when you feel you are ready. I was 21 when I got married and my husband was 22. We got the “you guys are too young”, “why don’t you wait”‘ mostly from our friends. But the older folks around us told us we were doing the right thing. Anyway, we just do what we think is right for us.
I’m single, and I think it would be nice to be married by 28 1/2. I know this seems to be an arbitrary number, and honestly, it is. My reason: it would be nice to marry while I can still bear my own children, but I’m totally for adopting if I have to or my husband wants to do so.
To me, the goal is not to have someone to take care of me, or to have a ring to show-off to friends and enemies, or to avoid ‘eternal loneliness’ (b/c God keeps me company); but to sit back, relax, and let the man that God created just FOR ME, find me. However long it takes, I propose is worth it.
My theory, “It’s impossible to bind two halves into a whole, until each half is complete within itself.” When each of us ready, God will bring us together. That’s it.
I was 27 when I married (2003) and my wife was 23. I think those were good ages for both of us. It has given us a better opportunity to grow together. It has also helped with children. Now at 32, I have two small children and do not want anymore. I do not want to be in my 60s trying to keep up with teenagers. Also, I do not want my wife putting her health or our childrens health at risk by trying to have kids well into her 30s.
I do not think there is a magic age for marriage. I think maturity is key. However, people need to be careful. As a previous poster noted, older people tend to have more requirements. For all the people I know who are not married, their requirement lists seem to get longer with age.
If there is one advantage of getting married young (mid 20s to early 30s) it is that most often you don’t know enough to be unrealistic in your spouse requirements. Also, there is the fallacy that just because one is older they have a better handle on relationships. A lot of times that is not true.
Lastly, let us not assume it is everyones goal to be married. I do think marriage is the bedrock of a strong society. However, it may not be everyones destiny.
Well I just got married 3 weeks ago and I’m 26 years old. When I was younger, my ideal age to get married was at 25, so I wasn’t too far from my ideal age. But I feel that people should wait until they’re in their mid 20’s to early 30’s to get married. I feel by then, you should know who you are as a woman/man and know what you want from your significant other. I feel that when you’re young, you don’t really know what type of man/woman you want to be with for the rest of your life. And also, it’s best to go to college or get some kind of work experience and live on your own before moving in with someone.
Iam 31 years old and I am not married yet. Personally, timing is everything especially when God is the head of your life. It is my desire to be married and hopefully have some kids , but God will stragically order the design man for me in his season not mines. God knows the exact age and time I will get married , so it doesn’t matter the age God will allow it to happen in his timing.
I got married when I was 28. He left when I was 32. I don’t feel that I married too young. My decision was foolish for other reasons. Right now, I’m engaged at age 37.
When I was 27 years old, an older woman told me that my perfect marrying age was 33. That was while I was making the decision to enter a bad marriage. Looking back, I’d say 33 would have been good for me. LOL
I would like to say that it is the maturity of the person and not the age but that is only half true. You are not going to want at 25 what you wanted at 19. You out grow each other because you find out more of who you are. I was in a realtionship when I was younger that was consdiered “common law” we have kids. I remarried (I guess. I don’t know the date of my first marriage. LOL), but I was a few weeks shy of turning 30. When you are older you are not “crazy in love” (although I am crazy in love with my husband it is not a psycho crazy), but happy and content, I have my own idenity, career and more education under my belt and yes, with age you do become wiser which is different than maturity. I have always been mature for whatever age I was/am. I was not wise enough to always make the right decisions, and it was always in the “picking of a man dept.” LOL. My example of me being wiser is: I was wise enough to let my friends pick my current husband for me. We have been married for over 11 yrs.
have to agree with Anna. You do not want the same things that you wanted back in your teenage years/early twenties. I do think “being ready” is different for everyone. Especially depending on what you’re getting married for! Everybody doesn’t get married for love. Some specifically get married for money, sex or other things. When I was in my twenties I knew that I wanted to be married, but I also wanted to do all of my traveling, messing up and getting myself together before I got married. That was something I didn’t want to bring to the table. So I knew I was going to be around 30 when I would be ready. Although I attempted to force it when I was in my early-twenties, signs were everywhere that it wasn’t right! After four years of him maybe not knowing if I was the one, I made the decision of realizing he wasn’t the one! When I met my husband I was in my late-twenties and it didn’t take years for either of us to know. It turned out I was 30 when I got married. And there wasn’t any pressure or anything else I think because we were older.
Love has no age! When your soulmate steps into your life, the thought of how old you are will be dismissed totally, cause God will intervene and show you what’s meant for you.
18+, mature, and Godly. that’s all that’s needed. i always knew i was going to be married and it was all i cared about. education and money never will be around forever but opportunity and people will not. i wanted the hubby, the kids, and the house w/ the picket fence and wasn’t going to wait a single decade to have it. god is good and i got what my heart desired. amen
meant to say education and money WILL be around forever sorry
I think 17+ ,and thats a mature 17 btw. i think if you really TRULY love each other than your age shouldn’t matter. As long as you’re marrying because you love each other and are confident in your realationship than there is no reason why you shouldn’t get married. Even if it’s a young age like 17.
I am 23 and I have been in love with the same guy since I was sixteen. We went together in high school and broke up jr. year. We went to different colleges and it has been six years and we are still a huge part of each others lives. I have always known that he was the one I will marry one day. I think that if you have the right person and regardless of how old you are it takes that same amount of love, respect, and endurance to maintain a marriage at 20 that is does at 40. True love does not tell time.