Thursday, April 09, 2009

Is There an Ideal Age for Marriage?

Marry too early and you run the risk of making yourself poor, losing out on educational opportunities, and increasing the likelihood of divorce. Marry too late and you run the risk of difficulties conceiving children, getting set in your ways, ending up past your prime on the marriage market, and feeling like you might get stuck being single for the rest of your life.

Below is a look at what others have to say and what the world actually does when it comes to marriage. Lots of graphs follow.

A brief summary of some of the data:
Research on the effects of age at first marriage appears to be mixed:
[A]s 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.

As a result, researchers, sociologists and family experts are taking a closer look at the attitudes behind the trend to see if there really is an optimum age to marry that maximizes the benefits of matrimony and minimizes possible problems...

It's well documented that those who marry before age 20 are two to three times more likely to divorce, researchers say. But studies are still trying to determine whether marrying at certain ages may improve relationships and help marriages survive.

A study being drafted by sociologist Norval Glenn of the University of Texas-Austin finds that those who marry in the early to mid-20s are slightly happier and less likely to break up than those who marry in the later 20s, but are significantly more satisfied with their relationships than those who marry at 30 or older...

But research by sociologist Paul Amato of Pennsylvania State University for a 2007 book he co-wrote suggests quite the opposite. The studies for Alone Together: How Marriage in America Is Changing used different data and different criteria and found distinct benefits to marrying older.

"We found that the delay in marriage was actually a good thing and it actually improved the average marital quality by a fair amount," he says.

"Older marriages (30s vs. 20s) were more cohesive in the sense they did things more often together as a couple. And couples who married at older ages were less likely to report thinking about divorce or that their marriage was in trouble."
It seems everyone who is trying to turn love into a science is just as confused as the rest of us.

While most appear to think marrying in mid-to-late-twenties is best, people who find themselves still single should not give up hope. Many find love and marriage after age 45.

My take aways:

1) There is large heterogeneity in individuals and in matches in the marriage market. Both you and your story are unique, so don't fret too much if your life has turned out differently from these medians.

2) If you're over the age of 25 and meet someone you love, trust, and are compatible with, don't hesitate to get married.

3) If you're older than 25 and want to get married, don't give up hope no matter what age you are. While it's never too late, sooner is probably better than later past this point, so start looking!

Graphs:

Below are some graphs that I made/found from various sources of marriage statistics in the US and from around the world.

Percent of Americans never married, 2006:



Median age at first marriage in the US, 1890-2007:


Average age of first marriage and divorce rates:



Here is what the difference between males and females in average age at marriage looks like globally. Wikipedia has more statistics on age at first marriage around the world. If anything, the US appears to marry young relative to the rest of the world -- both men and women.

2 comments:

Nathanael D Snow said...

Marry at the perfect time and run the risk of being...
disappointed.
The idea time to marry is once you are mature enough to keep commitments even when it is no fun anymore.
It is when there is an adventure involved bigger than either of the partners.
It is when both are ready to reflect Christ's relationship to the church in a radical sacrificial way.

thinking said...

Well said Juris Naturalist!