Marriage: What Are The Consequences of Waiting?

For many people, marriage is the ultimate declaration in a relationship. But what happens when you marry late in life? In years gone by, it was common – expected, even – to marry young. But modern lifestyles, work commitments and social expectations have meant that the age of the first marriage have risen to 27 for women and 29 for men. Such numbers are historic highs, which does impact on children – the average age for our first children has now swapped with what was once a year’s gap with the age for marrying, what with the rising number of out of wedlock births.

There are complications with marrying late though. For starters, as women delay marriage further in place of a career and travel, the likelihood of having children out of a relationship and raising them alone is also on the rise. Alongside this comes the economic impact, which is that parenting will increase the chance of the woman’s wage premium being used on childcare. Also, consider this – the risk of never marrying is also on the cards. There is the chance that a marriage delayed is a marriage removed, which affects your household income more than if you simply marry in your thirties instead of your late twenties.

The emotional effects of marriage are worth bearing in mind. Those who are married, both men and women, are less likely to describe themselves as being depressed or unhappy, as well as being likely to state that they are satisfied with their lives. The risk of divorce is lower if you marry slightly older than younger, with those in their mid-twenties far more likely to say that they were very happy in their relationship. It seems that there is more to consider within the realms of marriage than simply how to fit in your career.