I’m sure you’ve already heard that half of all marriages end in divorce. That statistic has been around since I can remember; you’d think it would’ve changed one way or the other by now. A dangerous statistic floating around in cyberspace right now discusses if happy couples get married or if getting married makes them happy. I believe that a couple should be happy first-getting married because you think the union will eventually make you happy isn’t right. That sounds as if it is in the same ball park as having a baby to fix an unhappy marriage, probably not a good idea.
A recent poll on Health and Behavior by the University of Texas states that although more Americans are waiting longer to get married that the odds of a lasting, happy marriage are more likely to occur if the bride is between the ages of 23 and 27, and age 27 for men. This is not meant to deter anyone who is over 30! Statistics are just numbers and should be used for maybe interesting dinner conversation and not something to base your future plans on.
The good news is the over 80% polled stated that they felt that marriage should be a life long union.
Most people polled and the documented statistics lean toward a higher divorce rate for those who marry too young or those that marry too old. Fortunately, the definition of “too old” is vague and keeps changing as people wait longer to commit. I can see why marrying too young would fall into this category, though, as young people often marry before learning what real commitment means or before they have explored all the different avenues for their lives ( such as education or career.)
Older people tend to be “set in their ways” and do not wish to make the changes in their routine to accommodate a new spouse. (I got this one from an old lady at a bus stop, she seemed pretty sure of herself.)
A well known fact is that in previous history, people married very young, simply because we didn’t live that long. During the 1800’s it was not uncommon for people to marry in their mid-teens; in the 1400’s you got married as young as 12 ( A boy was considered a man, a girl was a woman as soon as she had her first menstrual cycle), something that was extremely common but would be viewed as scandalous in America today. (Currently, Muslim girls can marry at age 12.)
Over 50 countries allow marriage at 16, including the United States. Some states
require parental permission while others do not.
Now that you know some of the facts and statistics surrounding marriage, you will be able to voice your opinion more articulately because you are educated on the subject. There is a difference sometimes between opinions and fact-sometimes a huge difference-and an informed opinion always hold more water than an ignorant one.