#6

 

One of my professors made a comment in class that it is actually better to get married at a younger age, somewhere in the early 20’s, rather than later. We also read an article on this topic prior to class supporting the same thing. I found that very interesting because a lot of people around me have said it is better to wait until you are older, mid 30’s or so. That way you will most likely be done any further education, have an established career, be more financially stable etc. I always hoped to get married younger, but I though those were some valid points. Reading/discussing why getting married at a younger age is beneficial made me realize that those supporting facts were a lot stronger. Not that getting married older is bad, but there is no benefit of getting married older rather than younger. Here are a few points that I found interesting…

People getting married younger possibly while they are still in school will most likely have more financial hardships at that time. Weddings are typically pretty expensive, financial struggles definitely make them a little harder to plan. Planning a wedding when dealing with financial struggles and a low budget allows you to see what the other person is like under stress, and how they deal with certain situations. It also gives you a greater opportunity to work together and figure out the wants and needs. It opens up an opportunity to see a different side of them, which is important when you are planning to spend the rest of your life with that person.

You may be more compatible with more people when you are younger. If you are getting married sometime in your 30’s, you probably already have yourself figured out your lifestyle set. You will be looking for a partner that comfortably fits into your lifestyle, which limits the number of potential partners. When you are younger life is probably a little crazy, you are probably still in school, and you may not have a set identity. This can be good, if you get married younger you are able to grow and form your identity and lifestyle with that person.

Something specific I read in an article titled “Is marrying later really better?” by Lois Collins, that stuck out to me, “Hawkins noted that those who marry young can probably delay having children for a few years, but those who marry older can find themselves limited by their biological clock. Fertility stress may be one reason those who marry later are “not as star-in-their-eyes happy” as younger-marrieds, he said. Couples may start to focus more on timing and the possible challenges of becoming parents than on the relationship with each other.” I think this is a good point, marrying younger may relieve some of the stress when it comes to having children, since you are most likely not on a time crunch it gives you a good opportunity to build a relationship with a solid foundation before you add kids to the mix. I imagine rushing to have kids is not ideal for a relationship and possibly causes issues later on.

I do not thing there is anything wrong with getting married younger or older. The main thing I wanted to bring to light is that there is nothing wrong with getting married young. A lot of people say there is, but there is a lot of evidence to suggest it is no worse than getting married older.

Here is a link to the article I referenced in case you wanted to check it out!

Is it bad to marry young? Here’s what marriage research says - Deseret News