People often warn young couples not to get married too young. This is because studies have found that those who get married at a very young age – such as 18 or 19 – have much higher divorce rates than those who wait a bit longer.
This isn’t really surprising. Think about how volatile dating relationships can be early in college or even in high school. Getting married at roughly the same age clearly makes it more likely that you could split up because you’ll run into some of the same problems, whether you’re married or dating. In fact, you could even run into more issues if you are married because marriage is complicated, and there’s a lot to consider – housing, work, children, etc.
For a long time, people assumed that this meant your marriage would be stronger the longer you waited. But new evidence shows that this is not necessarily true.
Waiting until 32
What these studies have found is that 32 appears to be a very important age. This is when you have the lowest odds of getting divorced. But if you wait beyond 32, then your odds of divorce start going back up again. They increase by roughly 5% per year. Someone who gets married at 40 has much higher divorce odds than someone who gets married at 32.
As such, it’s a good idea to wait to get married, but you also don’t want to put it off too long, or you could just be making it more likely that your marriage will end in divorce.
Are you already facing these odds?
Of course, if you’re already married, then you’re just locked into whatever divorce odds you have. If you and your spouse decide to split up, make sure you understand all the legal steps you need to take.
