Cool. Another marriage study for our parents to throw in our respective faces, usually packaged within an email that has the subject line, "WHEN WILL I HAVE GRANDCHILDREN?!" Except, wait, this one is chocked full of good (hey, even empowering) news for all those single ladies. In fact, the very in-depth but still approachable study, courtesy of a whole host of educational institutes titled Knot Yet, breaks down the earning potential of those who marry below the average age of marriage, and those who marry above the average age. (For women, the median age is 27, dudes are at 29). The study explains that ladies who wait until their 30s to get married end up making significantly more, especially if they've got a college degree.
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This assumption makes a relative amount of sense, because it implies that the college-educated woman who waits until her 30s to get married has put in a couple of years focusing on her career — and, according to the study, the benefit is significant: College-educated women who marry later enjoy a $18,152 increase in annual personal income than their college-going sisters who marry young. (Between non-college educated ladies, women who marry in their 30s make more, but only about $4K more on average.) The implication is, then, that focusing on career instead of getting hitched does indeed pay off. (And it pays off in a couple of ways, because people who get married older tend to have lower divorce rates, too, the survey says.)
Photo: Courtesy of twentysomethingmarriage.org.
Yet, for men, the opposite appears to be true. Guys who get married younger tend to make slightly more than their more patient counterparts — but not by much. While the survey declines to comment, it might be possible to posit that this is because men feel a certain pressure to "provide" for their family...and don't need to take the time off of work in order to have children. (Business Insider
also believes that younger married men might be more confident in the workplace, too.)
Yet, perhaps the most interesting claims that the survey made were not that women everywhere are turning into career-obsessed, cold-hearted old maids, but that our attitude towards marriage might be changing. Marriage used to be a sort of "welcoming to adulthood," or rite of passage that a young person undertook. Yet, with today's focus on marriage as a "whole package," or finding the right person to spend your life with, young people are hoping to have all of their "ducks in a row" before tying the knot. So, tell that to your nagging parents who wonder why you just "can't find yourself a nice man and settle down." Because, Mom, inner fulfillment comes first. (Daily Mail)
Photo: Courtesy of twentysomethingmarriage.org.