Best Age For Marriage: Three Major Factors To Help You Decide

The best age for marriage is not just a pertinent question but a predicament for every man and woman eligible for marriage. After all, the perfect age for tying the knot is not a prescribed diktat, and often depends on family traditions, local culture, and societal norms. In modern era, men and women are given the liberty to introspect and decide the appropriate age as to when they would like to get married. This often leads to confusion, and aimless waste of time. In case you are someone who is drowned in the thoughts of finding the right moment in life and the best age for marriage, then we have sorted it out here.

Figuring Out The Best Age For Marriage

Giving the answer to the titular question is as good as solving a riddle. Therefore, in this article we have sorted things by presenting the answer in terms of ‘factors’. These factors that we are talking about are:

I. Social Factors
II. Biological Factors
III. Financial Factors

The exact age, which in other words is the perfect time to tie the knot, can be different for different people. Instead of providing you with a rhetoric of best age for marriage, we will give you certain points under each factors. These points will be ideal indicators, based on which you can determine whether you have attained the right age of wedding or not. Most points under each factor are for both the genders. But in certain cases, the picture can be different for men and women. In those scenarios, we have mentioned those points specifically for that gender. Let’s begin with factor #1.

I. Social Factors

Social factors are those social indicators in a person’s life, which can help him/her gauge the best age for marriage. These are usually those events that come as a harbinger to the announcement, that ‘Now is the time you start considering marriage.’

1. When all your pals are getting married.

Sure, there are many things you must do before you get married regardless of your social group, but that is the number one reason for both the genders. Life spent single is a carefree one, and there is little that can hamper its inertia. It is only when your best friends, whom you once hung out with, start getting married, that you realise that you have grown old enough to consider marriage yourself. One of the stark realisation of that comes when you see your pals taking to social media to announce their pregnancy or post adorable pictures with their toddlers. You suddenly feel like an odd one out, don’t you? You realise you have come a long way since your college days, and therefore it is the right time to find the perfect spouse and settle down. So yes, the best age for marriage is when your friends are settling down too.

[Read More: Biodata For Marriage]

2. When your parents retire.

You are an independent person now, an ideal adult whose parents have retired from work and moved-in with you. You become the ‘bread-winner’ of the family, and sort of head the house. When you have moved into your parents’ shoes, you are definitely old enough to strongly consider marriage.

3. When you are at a stable position in your career.

In contemporary times, both men and women reach a certain stability in their career around the age of 30. When you have arrived at such a point in your career when you no longer plan to switch organisations in six months, then you have definitely matured. It means that you have attained some level of financial security as well (which we will cover in financial factors), and therefore it is not just the best age for marriage, by high time to find a suitable match.

4. When neighbourhood kids call you uncle/aunty!

When that happens, it is time to register on the perfect matrimonial website right away! You suddenly are acquainted to the fact that you have rushed decades ahead of the the ‘gen-Z’, and you are much older. But nothing better shouts ‘You are ready for it!’ than the next point.

5. You can’t be conveniently categorized as ‘young’!

If it applies to you then you surely have alarm bells ringing in the marriage department. It means you have crossed the age of being conventionally being referred to as ‘young’ or ‘youth.’ In other words, you have reached a point where you are definitely over-eligible for marriage, therefore you should ideally start off with the marriage preparations soon. It’s the best age for marriage at this point.

[Read More: How To Get Ready For Marriage]

II. Biological Factors

This section consists of those elements that pertain to human biology. After all, marriage is not just about living together, it is also about being young enough to enjoy it, and to bear children.

1. Your grey hair are more profound.

It is not a litmus test factor, but a decent indicator that you have grown a bit old – old enough to marry. Does it not feel odd when you have too many grey hair, and you are still single? Indeed, the best age for marriage! Ideal time to find to the perfect life partner.

2. Your fertility is tapering..

Like mentioned in the introduction to this section, marriage is also about having a family that’s complete with children. Therefore, this point is about your ability to have children. The matter of fertility relates somewhat differently to different genders, but we reach the same conclusion.

Men – According to studies at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, male fertility starts declining after 35 years of age. Another study at NCBI noted that the fertility rate in men aged 30 years and younger, decreases by 15%, goes down by 50% within the next ten years, owing to natural decrease in sperm quality over time. But men over 40 are capable of having healthy children till the age of 45, with IV and intensive genetic screening. Even after that, a man has a chance of having a child, but by then kids are not a feasible option, and the chances of children with genetic issues is very high.

Women – According to a study by the French Institute of Health and Medical Research, women have their peak fertility levels at 28, with more than 91% chance of conceiving. The chance of having a healthy baby starts declining after 35 years of age, and once a lady crosses 40 years of age, even if she is still fertile, kids are not a feasible option. Assuming you may decide to harvest your eggs, you’d still have physical difficulty post 45, owing to natural menopause. And decreases in egg quality happens rapidly after 35, and similarly chances of children with genetic issues is very high after 36 years of age.

Overall, when it comes to the factor pertaining to fertility, the risk is highest when one or both parents are over 35. And kids after 45 is a big risk. So you should ideally be considering tying the knot, somewhere between the 28-32 years age range preferably by 29 years of age in order to bear a child comfortably, making that the best age for marriage.

III. Financial Factors

Here we will talk about points which deal with money-matters and how your bank statement can help you decide on the perfect time to become espoused. Financial factors can be non-restrictive like certain social factors or can be the writing on the wall just like biological factors. Either way, they do help determine your best age for marriage.

1. You have enough money to be truly independent.

It simply means that you can purchase commodities and take financial decisions in your independent capacity without the help of an external agent. Financial stability definitely has an influence on marriage, and if you have attained it then you have definitely reached a point where you should consider marriage. This factor applies to both men and women, and some people tend to become more obsessed about it than others. It is one reason why many ‘driven’ types tend to marry late in life, or not at all.

2. You know how to manage finances well.

There are many things to know before marriage, and personal finance is right on that list. When you are young, money is all about ‘What do I buy next?’ But as you grow old, your thinking is more aligned with the question ‘How do I save well?’ You do not reach such a thought process overnight, and it is only after putting-on a decent work experience that you realise the importance of the hard-earned money. Interestingly, that stage conveniently coincides with the perfect age for marriage (which is around the age of 30 years).

3. Your finances permit you to start a family right away.

You may not consider having children immediately after marriage but it is always ideal to have enough savings for such a scenario. Over a period of time, you may have accumulated enough savings but if they are enough to fuel your aspirations of becoming a dad/mom right after your wedding then congratulations! You have financially bolstered yourself really well making you eligible for a marriage.

So the points mentioned above are the major factors that will help you determine whether the time is perfect to search for a soul-mate. Keep in mind that certain factors can be a constraint (like fertility) and generics (having too many grey hair) but they help you make a calculated decision about the best age for marriage. One is usually eligible to tie the knot any time after 21 years of age, but we all know that’s just too soon.

But when we take a look at the aforementioned factors, then one realises that if there is an age bracket that satisfies most of the conditions for both the genders then it has to be 28-32 years. It is after all the time when you can are an adult, have a stable work life, have accumulated enough savings, attained good maturity levels, and are at the peak of your biological fertility.

In fact, according to a study conducted by University of Utah, that spanned eight years, marriages where both the partners were between the age group of 28-32 when they got hitched turned out to be mostly successful ones. Guess even conventional wisdom and societal norms have prescribed that same best age for marriage. So you have your answer now. Now, it is time to finish that marriage biodata!

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