Marriage is a big event in one’s life and every girl and woman as well cherishes to meet her desired partner. The bride who is about to tie the knot hopes that her life partner keeps her happy. The question that arises in one’s mind is at what age one must “settle down” in life in terms of matrimony. The time span for marriageable age varies from culture to culture and in the West young couples tend to get married early, although now the trend is to pursue a career and secure oneself financially before settling down with a life partner. Yet the question that one may ask is what is the perfect age for marriage?
What is the Perfect Age for Marriage?
- Both girl and boy must be of certain age to marry so that they are mature enough to handle their own affairs sensibly
- The preferred age is 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys, although some girls marry at 16 and boys at 18 or 19 years. Nowadays, late marriages are taking place and women are marrying in their early or late 30s
- Usually, marrying too early is not advisable as the women can have health issues after pregnancy
- Normally women prefer marrying in their 20s as they want to have their children when they are young to avoid complications
- Women who marry in their 30s are financially secure but worry about pregnancy complications. Sometimes they have to go in for counseling in the form of professional help in order to assuage their worried feelings of delivering an abnormal child
- Men prefer to marry when they feel they are financially independent and are in a position to support their wife and children. Usually, they prefer marrying in late 20s, once they have secured themselves work-wise
- Marrying in their late 20s is preferred as the girl and boy know each other better and are also aware of their choicest partner so that they can have less marital issues
- Teenage marriages, particularly in the West end up in divorces as the girl and boy are not all that emotionally mature to take on responsibilities of a marriage
- Some women are “late bloomers” and marry when they are in their 40s after they have pursued their preferred career choices and travelled to see which place they would like to settle or what sort of person they would finally tie the knot with. Their friends and family would be very happy that at last they have found the right partner
- Peer group pressures are there in some society and the girl and boy decide to marry when they are in their 20s as socially they will face less problems
- The compulsion that society applies on the young couple to marry early is why usually late marriages are not so common. Yet, in the West marriages are ending up in divorce and many women in their 50s and 60s are fending for themselves. Some are searching for their partners
The perfect age for marriage applies for all young people who have to live within the social framework. In many countries, society expects a girl or boy to marry and that too at the “right” age as prescribed by it. The social pressure to marry is so much that young couples in love or going in for arranged marriage prefer to go ahead and settle down. In the West, also there is social pressure in the form of emotional compulsions, but yet women are marrying in their late 30s and some are remaining single also. Single motherhood concept is also in vogue. Despite all these trends, a woman likes to find the right partner, at any age and “settle” down.
Benefits of Marrying at Correct Age
- Maturity levels are adequate to find the right partner
- One can deliver normal children
- A pregnant woman in her 20s is exposed to less complications
- One can get to know each other for a longer time before having children
- Financially, the man is more secure to take on family responsibilities
- The woman is more emotionally mature to bring up a child
- Elderly guidance can be had as the elders will feel their wisdom is required to bring up children
- Both the girl and boy have adequate education levels in order to bring up healthy children
- Parents are also happy that their children have settled down in marriage
It is evident that society has prescribed the perfect age for marriage and legally also the accepted age is according to the emotional and physical health of the bride and the groom.
