Nowadays, it is quite common to come across people who are in no rush to get married. They cite reasons like their love for freedom or the high instances of marital relationships falling apart. For some people, a career seems more important than settling down. However, relationship experts think the idea of getting married early in life may not be so bad. There is no fixed age for anyone to tie the knot, of course, and there are numerous instances of happy couples who have had their weddings in their 40s, but there are some obvious advantages to getting married early while you’re in your 20s.
Here are the top benefits of getting married early in life
Built-in support system
People face a lot of challenges in their 20s. It’s a time to get established, learn a trade or get a degree, prepare for a career, and work toward becoming financially independent, all while trying to figure out who you are and what you want out of life and relationships. However, if you’ve already found the one you can’t live without, that special someone that makes life worthwhile, then by marrying now, the two of you will each have someone there to support the other while going through all the transitions this time of life brings.
In fact, going through all these changes and life challenges together can actually make your relationship stronger. Ashley, a 25-year-old who married her boyfriend one month after graduating college, told Mic: “We moved into our first apartment together. We bought our first furniture for the first time together. Those life experiences where it’s so exciting to be on your own for the first time, I did with a partner. And to me that’s just amazing.”
Improved finances
There’s no doubt that money can be tight when you’re out on your own for the first time. Financial problems can put a lot of strain on young marriages as well, so you may be tempted to put off getting married until you feel you are in a financially sound position — a goal that seems to be getting harder and harder to achieve in today’s world.
However, according to research conducted by economists Joseph Lupton and James P. Smith, getting married can significantly improve your financial standing. Some of their research, as highlighted in the University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project report, reveals: “Those who married saw income increases of 50 to 100 percent, and net wealth increases of about 400 to 600 percent. Continuously married households had about double the income and four times the net worth of the continuously divorced and never-married, on average.” So don’t wait to get married until your finances improve. Getting married can actually improve your finances!
Time is on your side
For those who want to start a family, getting married early in life is advantageous. For one, you can be more flexible about when to start having or adopting children. This gives you the option of having years of child-free living to just enjoy being with your spouse. After you have settled into married life, you can make the adjustment to becoming a parent.
Raising kids can, and likely will, leave you exhausted. You’ll find yourself with a little more energy to spare for a baby or toddler when you’re in your 20s as opposed to when you’re older. And by the time you’ve adjusted to being a parent, it’s likely your career will be starting to take off. If you follow this route, you can enjoy each of these phases of your life — marriage, children, and career — to the fullest.
