Category — Marriage Stats

Is there an ideal age for marriage?  What marrying age ensures maximum happiness?

Sociologists agree that couples who marry before the age of 20 are 2-3x times more likely to divorce than older couples.  Other than that, the studies are inconclusive.

One things is for sure: we’re waiting longer to marry and the perceived “ideal” marrying age is increasing.

According to the USA Today article Sooner Vs. Later: Is There An Ideal Age For First Marriage?, people surveyed in 1946 believed the ideal marrying age for a woman was 21; in 2006, the ideal age was 25.

It’s a question that seems to get everybody’s panties in a wad.  It generated 573 comments on the USA Today site.  Some from women who wished they’d waited, some from failed marriages, others who’ve been married 50 years.

The trend is to wait until “I’m ready.”  After college…after I’ve got a house…after I’ve got a stable job…after my school loans are paid off.  Then, I’ll be ready for marriage.

More couples are marrying for the first time over the age of 40, thanks to the internet.  I’d estimate that 1 out of 5 couples I work with met through online dating sites or social networks like Myspace or Facebook.  And according to the article Singles Find Love, Marriage After Age 45, the internet is contributing to a rise in older marriages.

So the scientists and statisticians have yet to determine a “magic” age for a successful marriage.  After 7 years of marriage, here’s my (possibly unpopular) take:

I love my husband, but no way was I ready for marriage at age 24.  Then again, I doubt I would have been ready if I waited until 26, or even 40.  You’re never “ready” for marriage.  You get married…and then you get ready…because you have no choice.

I’ve known too many girlfriends who felt like old maids as they approached 30 without a ring on their finger.  My own sister-in-law swore she’d be married by the time she turned 40.  She married at age 39 to an Italian guy she’s known for three weeks.  (And, yes, they’re still married.  Almost 9 years.  Go figure.)

I’ll end with the advice of one bride:

“I’ve now found out marriage is such a wonderful thing, I wish people would have told me to get married sooner because I had found the right guy,” she says. “But I’m actually glad we waited because we knew what we were getting into.”

If only I had a crystal ball…

Did you have an “ideal” or “goal” age to be married?  Leave me a comment.