Women are entering a new age, and the definition of
what it means to be a women is constantly evolving.
Education and career are top priorities for many a
modern women, and many feel that they are too
“busy”, or preoccupied with their life goals, to start a family. So
much so, in fact, that the average age to get married has been
pushed back from the average age of 23 years old in 1981 to 30
years old in 2009. And this number is about to get higher.
“Life Begins At 30″
According to the UK National Statistics office, the average age
by which females marry has made a progression from 23 years
old in 1981 to 30 years old in 2012. Case in point, recently wed
Kate Middleton got married to Prince William at 29 years old, in
great contrast to her would-have-been mother in law Lady Diana
Spencer, who entered marriage at 20 years.
The trend holds true across the globe, transcending cultures. In
the US, the average marrying age is 25 years old for women, while
the average age of first marriage in China is 27. Emphasis is placed
on “first marriage” as we all know how marriages have become
nowadays, that is, simply defined by a piece of paper that can
easily be retracted in most territories. But that’s another story.
Why Marry Late, If At All?
Psychologists say that the want for
independent success is the main
reason why women are marrying at a
later time.
Pressures at work, more interesting
lifestyle choices and industrialization
play huge roles in convincing women
that there is certainly more to life
than getting into a marriage. Of course, as women, we are
physically designed to bear
children and provide nurturing
as the offspring grow. However,
many women have come to the
very rational decision that it’s a
worthwhile life choice to delay
marriage in order to further explore
the world and their careers.
Aside from marrying late, more
women are also resigned to going
it alone when it comes to rearing
children, skipping the rites of
marriage altogether and raising kids
sans a partner. According to Legal
Momentum, at any one time, around
25 per cent of mothers are single
mothers, with some 50 per cent of
today’s moms spending some time as
the sole custodial parent.
What Do You Want With Time?
Studies have shown that the timing of
one’s first marriage is often linked to
the attractiveness of the alternatives
to marrying at the time the proposal is
offered. Thus, when the woman sees
that she still has many options, and
the alternatives are still viable and
stable, marriage is delayed.
For example, a woman who is about
to get promoted to senior partner at
a law firm after 10 years of waiting
may opt for the promotion first and
then marriage some two to three
years after — if the offer is still on
the table, that is. Of course, there is
no question to the level of happiness
and satisfaction afforded by both a
career promotion and being with your
one true love; unfortunately, though,
these two compete for one very
scarce resource: time. Professional
women, particularly those holding top
positions, are bound to have very little
time and higher expectations from
their relationships.
Hollywood celebrities are not immune
to the professional success = late
marriage trend. Elizabeth Hurley
was 42 when she married Arun
Nayar, an Indian businessman (but
divorced him three years after);
Sandra Bullock married Jesse James
at 41 (and then divorced after a
year); Salma Hayek tied the knot
also at 41 with French billionaire
Francois Henri-Pinault (they’re
still together!); Renee Zellwegger
didn’t say “I do” until she was 36
to country singer Kenny Chesney
(but, sigh, divorced after just four
months); TV personality Rachael Ray
married lawyer and The Cringe band
frontman John Cusimano at 37.
Running Against The Clock
While marriage is mainly borne out
of a decision to finally settle down
with just one person, regardless of
age, there is one thing that women
cannot force-delay: the biological
clock. Naturally, women are best
fit to conceive and give birth to
healthy babies until the age of 35,
after which the risks related with
pregnancy rapidly increase. But, hey,
with modernity prevailing the minds
of females nowadays, the quick
answer to the body’s inability to get
pregnant is adoption, which is widely
accepted. Or, better yet, why wait for
marriage to have a baby?
