Marrying Later: Pros and Cons

 According to “Knot Yet: The Benefits and Costs of Delayed Marriage,” the age men and women marry are now at historic highs: The statistics implicate the age for women is 27 and for men 29.

Both the costs and the benefits of late marriage cross lines of gender and class. For example, a college-educated woman who marries in her 30s earns over $15,000 more annually than a woman who marries in her early 20s. Additionally, women without college degrees are very likely to have a child before getting married. This raises the chances that they’ll end up raising them with an absent or unreliable father. Also, couples who are not married when they have children are far more likely to split up.

For men however, marrying earlier in life can be advantageous from an economic perspective. According to the statistics, college educated men earn more when they marry in their 20s as compared to their 30s. The research shows that men who marry in their 20s appear to work harder, seem smarter, and have better paying jobs. However, 35 percent of single men and cohabitating men reported feeling “highly satisfied” with their lives as opposed to 52 percent of married men.

What are some of the pros for women marrying later?

• College educated women will earn more money annually
• Married people in their late twenties, both male and female, are less likely to describe themselves as depressed
• Less likely to report drinking alcohol than single and co-habitating couples
• Women who marry in their mid to late twenties vs. early twenties are much happier in their marriages.
• The person who feels confident enough to tie the knot in their mid-20s may be less likely to look back and feel like they “settled.”
• Researchers say marrying later can mean marrying wiser, with more maturity and financial security.

What are some of the Cons for Women marrying later?

• More and more women who have postponed marriage are not postponing having children. One-third of babies are now born to unmarried moms.
• A woman can become set in her ways which may make it more difficult to compromise in a relationship.
• A woman may have figured out how to utilize her own finances and does not want to deal with sharing financial responsibility
• Couples who put off getting married and then having children till later in life may find problems in conceiving and have more risk of having children with genetic problems

This article was written to inform and enlighten young women who may not be married at this time, who are in their late 20s to early 30s, to review the benefits of marrying later in life according to the new historic statistics. If you would like to share your story about experiences you have had with dating or trying to complete your education by staying focused on your career, let us know in the comment section!