Parents love to ask their kids when they’re gonna get married. It feels like for women this type of questioning starts at around 18-20. And whenever you get serious with a boyfriend – the questions and nudges from your relatives just keep coming. Somehow, I doubt that men get this question asked as often. What’s interesting is that the more economically stable and advanced the country is, the later people seem to get married. And the general trend for marriage these days has shifted globally. People keep getting married later and waiting until they’re sure to tie the knot. It’s not the case everywhere, obviously, but it looks like that’s where we’re all heading. So let’s take a look at the statistics and at what age do women get married in various countries.
Mexico – 23
Mexico used to have a pretty bad history when it came to early marriage, but the laws have changed since and therefore the age bracket has shifted to early 20s. You can imagine what it was before. But 23 is still a pretty young age to get married. What’s most upsetting is that in Mexico it’s still quite common to think that women are basically meant to get married and be housewives who raise kids and take care of the family, which deters some women from waiting longer, pursuing higher education or attempting to build a career.
Russia – 24
The average age of people getting married in Russia is 24. This is a massive improvement, and it looks like young women there are looking at their peers in the west and choosing to wait longer before getting married. Twenty four would still be seen as early in the West, but hey, at least that’s enough time to finish a university, and at least attempt to make up your mind about what one wants in life and who they really want to spend their life with.
China – 25
China used to be notorious for early marriage but since the country went through a big burst in terms of economic growth and development, that also had an impact on marriage traditions. There are still plenty of cases of women getting married earlier than 25 in provinces, but most women who have a higher education now choose to wait longer, sometimes even until they’re closer to their 30s to get married. Who knew being able to find work and provide for yourself could have such an impact.
Spain – 27
Be honest, you expected this number to be lower in Spain, didn’t you? After all, Spanish women are seen as so passionate that you’d just assume they get married quite early. But turns out, even though the law in Spain allows people to get married super early, most of them aren’t actually in a rush to tie the knot.
Japan – 29
Japanese women are only getting married at around 30 these days, and most of them say that the reason for that is their career. These days most women in Japan value their financial independence and also strive for a successful career, so they take their time, and only get married once they feel like they’ve achieved a level of success and met someone compatible. Basically, since financial support and stability is no longer a reason for marriage, Japanese women have no reason to rush.
Finland – 31
Clearly, women in Finland don’t care about outdated ideas. You know that thing you’ve heard that if a woman doesn’t get married before 30 she’s considered a failure? Well, Finnish women would be like “never heard of that”. They generally tend to marry in their early 30s here and the divorce rates are definitely lower because of that.
France – 32
France is often seen as this super romantic country and many people specifically go here to propose to their partner. But French women don’t really think of love and marriage the same way. Love is definitely in the air here, but marriage is low in terms of priorities. Lot’s of couples date and live together for years before finally getting married. Almost half of the babies in the country are born out of wedlock and the parents only get married afterwards. They just know that a wedding is just a party, you don’t really need that to be happy. It’s seen more as a symbolic gesture, not a requirement for people in love.
Italy – 33
It’s really not that surprising for people in Italy to still be unmarried in their 30s. In fact, it’s quite common. You’d probably think that Italy is a very traditional country that’s all about marriage and family values, and that’s true, but marriage is just not something people rush into her anymore. Women tend to wait into their 30s to get married, and what’s interesting they also tend to live longer than their spouses.
