According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median age at first marriage in:
- 1900 was 25.9 for men & 21.9 for women
- 1950 was 22.8 for (m) & 20.3 for (w)
- 1990 was 26.1 for (m) & 23.9 for (w)
- 1995 was 26.9 for (m) & 24.5 for (w)
- 2000 was 26.8 for (m) & 25.1 for (w)
- 2008 was 27.6 for (m) & 25.9 for (w)
The numbers show that men and women are getting married later in life as time goes on. While some are postponing marriage for many reasons (career, education, freedom, etc.) others still feel pressure to be married by a certain age.
Research on attitudes about marriage show that young people view marriage as important and most of them expect to get married.
In fact, 83% of 20-24 year-olds expect to get married at some point with almost half expecting to marry within 10 years.
Apparently, the ideals of young adults reinforce the expectation that people should be married during their 30s.
