The average age of marriage has been moving up for a long time now. In the United States, it is becoming far less common for people to get married in their teens or even their early 20s.
There are those who say that couples should wait until their early 30s to get married. They may even identify an optimal age of 32 years old. Why is this?
The lowest odds of divorce
Age 32 is often mentioned because studies have found that this is when couples have the lowest odds of divorce. They may still get divorced eventually if they get married at 32 years old, of course, but it is more likely for couples in any other age group.
This is most notable when couples are younger than 32. There is an 11% increase in the odds of divorce for every year earlier that you marry. Even getting married at 30 instead of 32 means that divorce is much more likely. Getting married as a teenager means it is exceptionally likely.
But changes in divorce rates have also been noted after age 32. Each subsequent year adds another 5% to the chances of divorce. Couples who put off marriage indefinitely may actually see their divorce odds going back up once again, though not as quickly – on a yearly basis – as if they were younger.
Exploring your options
Regardless of the age at which you got married, divorce is a possibility and something that it’s wise to prepare for. If you’re going through this process, be sure you know exactly what legal steps to take when dividing assets, splitting up parenting time and much more.
