Average Marriage Age

Marriage is the most important decision in every person's life. Marriage involves a lifetime's commitment and so this decision should be taken very carefully. The average age for marriage is different in different parts of the world. Let us first know what factors affect the age of marriage.

Factors Affecting the Age of Marriage

Marriage is totally a personal matter and hence stating what is the ideal age for marriage is quite difficult. The best suggestion on when to get married is when you are yourself ready for it mentally and financially. Over the years, the average age for people marrying has gone up considerably. This is mainly due to the growing importance of career and stable income among the youngsters around the world. The advancement of women in the field of education and employment has also contributed to the rise in the average age. Marriages also get postponed as many people have firm expectations in their mind about their partner regarding education, income and lifestyle. According to the conducted research, the age in the less developed and developing countries of the world is much lesser than that of the developed countries. Various customs, society norms and traditions about marriage are also the factors which influence the age of marriage

Average Age of Marriage

The average age for marriage in the United States of America is believed to be around 27 for men and 26 for women. The median age of first marriage is often considered for both men and women and a comparison is made of the median ages over the years. In the year 1990, the median age of first marriage for a man was believed to be around 26.1 years and that for women was around 23.9 years. In the year 2007, the median age for marriage for men rose to 27.1 years and that for women rose to 26 years. In a country like India, the average age for men was around 25 years and that for women was 21.3 years in the year 2008.

The average age for people living in the big cities of United States of America and other countries is much higher than that of the people living in rural areas. This is because people in the cities take more time to settle down as the cost of living is very high as compared to rural areas. In some countries, the average marriage age for men is more than thirty. In Denmark, the average age for marriage is around 32.8 years for men and around 30.3 years for women. In Belgium, the age is 30.4 for men and 30 for women. In the United Kingdom, it is around 29.9 for men while that for women is around 27.7 years. The age of marriage has increased for both men and women in a country like India due to growing awareness of education and achieving landmarks in careers.

The increase in the average marriage age is a matter of concern as per the opinion of some experts. Counseling the youth on marriage related issues can definitely prove to be useful.