New Marriage Study Indicates the Best Age to Marry
When most people enter into a marriage, they generally do so under the belief that the marriage will last for the remainder of their life. Today, many individuals are marrying later in life. They assume that they need to have their education behind them and their career well established before walking down the aisle. This has created a situation where the rate of marriage has actually declined (alongside the rate of divorce) and more Americans are marrying later in life than ever before. But is it true that waiting until you’re nearly 30 to marry is actually in the best interests of your marriage?
New research conducted by Brigham Young University School of Family Life and featured in the Institute of Family Studies sought to answer this question. By examining 16 different measures of marital quality and employing important statistical controls, the researchers found there are very few substantial links between age at the time of marriage and marital quality for both men and women.
One researcher noted that, “When statistically significant relationships emerged [between relational qualities and age at marriage], they were relatively weak. The study found that the majority of individuals surveyed were happy in their marriage and their age at marriage did not significantly influence their marital happiness.”
What does it mean?
Timing is important when it comes to marriage, but not necessarily for the reasons we think. Having your education behind you and having an established career ahead of you did not statistically impact the quality of the marriage among the surveyed individuals. However, marrying late in life isn’t necessarily about marital happiness. More couples are choosing to marry late for economic and financial reasons rather than to increase their happiness. It should be noted that common knowledge tends to consider marrying older a more considered decision. In other words, marriages should benefit from a couple who takes more time to walk down the aisle than a couple who married right out of high school. But statistically, there was no evidence for this among the surveyed participants.
Another study seems to indicate that waiting longer to marry is actually a risk factor for divorce. Couples who choose to cohabitate before getting married show greater odds of divorce than those who do not. This study linked cohabitation before marriage with higher-than-average rates of divorce. So couples who forestall marriage and begin cohabitating together may actually have an increased risk of divorce.
The study encourages parents who have children who intend to get married to support their decision regardless of their age as opposed to withholding support and encouraging them to delay. After all, the study indicates that marital happiness is not impacted by the age at which you marry.
Talk to a Philadelphia Divorce Attorney Today
The Law Offices of Lauren H. Kane represent the interests of Philadelphia residents who are seeking to divorce. Regardless of how old you were when you married, we can help you untie the knot, secure a just divorce settlement, and better prepare for your future. Call our Philadelphia family lawyers today to learn more.
Source:
dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/what-is-the-best-age-to-marry-new-research-offers-surprising-findings/
