What is the best age to get married? Is 25 too early, or is 22 too late? Should one marry at a most fertile age, most financially stable, or most likely to have a successful marriage?
That’s what usually comes to people’s minds.
Basically, marriage is the biggest commitment; it comes along with a lot of responsibility. So, you can’t fix a certain timeline to get married.
The year you get married depends on your own hand, so long as you prepare for that.
Now, let’s run through some of the major factors one must bear in mind while deciding on the best age for marriage.
1. The best age to get married according to science
Women and men have quite different body structures from each other.
According to science, the best age to get married for men biologically ticks between the age of 40 to 45, whereas for women, it’s between 25 to 30.
Scientifically, male fertility peaks between the ages of 30 and 35, gradually declines around 35, and sharply after 40, though many men in their 40s and 50s can still father children.
| Factor | Ideal Age for Men | Ideal Age for Women |
| Biological fertility | 40-45 years | 25-30 years |
| Risk of pregnancy complications | Lower before 45 years | Lower before 30 years |
| Sperm quality | Higher before 45 years | Not applicable |
| Risk of chromosomal anomalies in baby | Lower before 45 years | Lower before 30 years |
| General health and vitality | Higher before 45 years | Higher before 30 years |
More pregnancy complications:
With delayed marriage, the chances are most likely that complications in pregnancy may increase. As women tend to get older, the natural fertility declines. This may result in more problems with a pregnancy.
For example, above age 30, females can easily be at an enhanced risk of pregnancy problems like gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and preterm labor.
Miscarriage rates also tend to go up due to chromosomal abnormalities in the baby.
However, men have a set of challenges too. Their fertility does not decline as fast, but with advancing age, the quality of sperm deteriorates.
Impact on children’s health
Late parenthood has implications for the children’s health in a number of ways. Children of older parents are more susceptible to some conditions, especially where genetics are concerned.
The mother’s age increases the chances of having a child born with Down syndrome and other chromosomal anomalies.
Children of older fathers have a slightly increased risk for ASD, schizophrenia, and several genetic mutations.
Although the risks remain relatively low, they are higher when compared to those associated with younger parents.
Long term effects
Some of the long-term effects of delayed parenting include physical and emotional exhaustion.
For example, it may be hard to run around with the kids, and it’s a concern to be able to support them well into older age-such as through the teenage years.
For children too, aged parents pose a problem.
They either have to live with the reality of losing a parent at a relatively younger age or simply have less energetic parents compared to their friends’ parents.
2. The best age to get married legally
Countries and cultures set their own legal age limits for marriage. Legally, the perfect age for marriage is about 21 for girls and around 21 to 23 for boys, but it’s not ideally possible in India.
Most people finish their education until they are 24 and financially stable at 26-28, so it will be a bit too hard for them to marry at legal age, which is 21.
This postulates that people actually need to grow up a little bit more before they are ready for marriage.
3. Cultural and societal norms
Society pressures people from various cultural backgrounds to marry at a specific age.
For example, marriage, traditionally done in India around 20-21 years of age. Today’s focus on higher education and career pursuits has shifted marriage to the late 20s.
In the case of love marriage, people choose to marry at a relatively younger age compared to previous generations.
And in arranged marriage, it delays until it finds the right fit as per expectations.
Societal norms were also playing a role in India; girls didn’t have the right to educate themselves. Today, parents are aware of the importance of education and careers.
4. Financial considerations
Money is important in the marriage, and thus, ideally, one should give some thought to finances prior to marrying. And to be financially secure, it takes time until the age of 26 to 28.
Most people feel really positive for marriage after they have a regular income and some savings. With age and experience, finances tend to fall in place, so they can actually wait until they are ready.
In marriage, if both partners are earning, it’s well and good, and they can take responsibility for the whole family.
But if only one person is earning, then it’s a little tough to live a stress-free and financially secure life in today’s age.
Joint financial planning: Marriage involves managing money together.
Discussion of financial goals first with your partner is of utmost importance: would you want to buy a house, start a family, or save up for the future?
You could make a joint account for expenses but keep separate accounts for personal spending.
Having a joint budget is key. You would know just how much each of you is spending on what, and for how long you will have to save before reaching those huge milestones, like owning a house or having a baby.
Do not forget about long-term plans, like retirement savings. Open discussions regarding money will keep stress off and give you both a sense of security in your future.
5. Emotional preparation
Marriage is not only about having sufficient money, the right age, or emotional readiness but also equally important.
Emotional readiness implies an understanding that marriage is a partnership. Marriage demands patience, good communication, and elasticity to bounce back from bad times.
You need to be open regarding your feelings and needs, before marriage. You should know what makes you happy, what irritates you, what you expect from your partner.
Similarly, one must be forthcoming with his or her partner over values and expectations.
The pre-marital counseling will help in making both of you emotionally prepared. It will also help you to understand each other better and know how to handle some of the problems that do come with marriage.
Emotional readiness lays the very foundation of a strong, lasting relationship.
There’s no happily ever after in life. After marriage, not every day will be the same. There will be ups and downs.
Therefore, be sure that you are mentally prepared for undertaking the responsibility of your family. If you are not mentally stable, take a step back and do not make any wrong decisions that will hurt your partner due to the societal pressure of marriage.
First, be prepare yourself emotionally.
6. Practical advice
Well, the ideal age of marriage is a personal decision which solely depends upon the stage at which you stand.
Suppose you are 22 and pursuing your bachelor’s, then marriage will not make any sense due to financial instability.
Consider these factors before tying a knot: your finances, emotional stability, biological changes, and career goals.
Understand what you are planning for your future and how marriage plays a role in that.
Basically, personal values and beliefs around marriage also play a very decisive role in choice of time. Reflect on what is important in your life and how that compares with the things that mean so much to your future partner.
In case you are not able to take any decisions for yourself, then seek advice from an experienced family member or friend.
Conclusion
Ideally, there is no best age to get married, as this depends on a number of things: being personally ready, in good health, financially stable, and fit within the cultural expectations.
Science shows that between the ages of 25 to 30 years, most things are ideal in terms of health and childbearing. However, financial and emotional readiness also plays an important role in considering this.
It is advisable to marry when both of you are ready to accept all responsibility, and your goals and values are congruent.
In conclusion, if you consider all these factors, the best age to get married is between 25 and 30.
