In Great Britain, for the first time, more women have children by the age of 25 than are married by that time. In 1970, 80% of women were married by the age of 25–today only 25% of women in Great Britain are married by the age of 25.
These statistics are not suprizing, the media have been reporting for quite some time now that young adults are increasingly delaying marriage both in Europe and the United States. In addition, more and more young adults are delaying leaving their parents homes–about a third of men and a fifth of women under the age of 35 are still living with their parents in Great Britian. For some reason, young adults are delaying the responsibility of getting married and raising a family.
Some responsible Christians have reported the “Myth of Adolescence,” claiming that adolescence is a relatively new category that wasn’t even considered 60 years ago. The problem it seems now, is that adolescence is being carried on into the 20′s and 30′s! It wasn’t too long ago in our country and in Great Britain that young people were married at much earlier ages and these same young people were out of their parents houses and care at much earlier ages too! So is delaying marriage a responsible choice? Perhaps for some, but it would seem if there is a connection between the delaying of marriage and the postponing of leaving the nest, then delaying marriage is further encouraging young adults to avoid taking on responsibility. The fact that more women are mothers than married by the age of 25 is case in point. In whose world is it responsible to have a child outside of wedlock?
I believe that the most responsible way to raise a child is in the context of marriage between a man and a woman who are committed to one another in marriage. Perhaps you will think that is an outdated point of view, but then again it doesn’t seem that our young people are growing to more responsible either.
I agree with you. I am going to be a young bride, but I don’t feel that it is a bad decision. My fiance agrees that having a woman he loves and WANTS to take care of (even though I am fully capable of taking care of myself) has made him step up and become more responsible than when he was single. Instead of going out to clubs on weekends, he and I make dinner together and watch a movie. We enjoy one another’s company without any pressure to be perfect. It’s nice knowing that you can be yourself completely around someone. I can be having the worst day of my life, come home and vent to my fiance and he will make me a cup of tea and sit with me until I feel better. Marriage is a GOOD thing if you find the right person. It is healthy and it makes you more responsible. I am still in college, and my husband and I will both work while we are married, so we are gaining more than we are giving up. We surround ourselves with other young couples because single people our age look at us as if we are insane. It seems that delaying marriage has also led to delaying adulthood. Certainly there are people who don’t get married until 30 who still move out and start their careers, but their attitude towards life in general is extremely irresponsible. They continue to go out and get plastered on the weekends, sleep around, jump rapidly from one relationship to the next with no intention of commitment. Call me old-fashioned, but marriage is extremely desirable to me!
Mary,
Thank you for your thoughtful response and for sharing your story. I think you are making the more responsible choice! It think that marriage is a beautiful gift from God, I pray that you approach it wisely and that you and your husband seek Christ in your marriage!