Those who grew up watching Disney movies are programmed to believe there is a prince for every princess. That once we find that one person who sweeps us off our feet, we live happily ever after. Even though these princesses are teenagers, we look past that because our society idolizes true love. But do they live happily every after? According to a study, most marriages of younger people fail.
The divorce rate is about 41 percent, based on 2001 Census Bureau data.Those who marry between the ages of 20 and 24 have the highest divorce rate in America at a whopping 36 percent for women and 38 percent for men, according to Census data.
But recent studies show that marriage is actually good for us because it helps people be happier physically and mentally. A 2002 survey by the National Survey of Family Growth show those who are married tend to show greater physical, emotional and economic well-being.
On the flip side, a study titled “Divorce and Death” found that the risk of dying is 23 percent higher after a marriage ends, making the life expectancy of divorcees comparable to that of smokers and heavy drinkers.
The number of marriages over the years has slowly been declining. However, studies show that 80 percent of the population will eventually marry by age 40. The younger a person is when he or she marries, the higher his or her chance is of getting divorce. “It’s too young,” said Kirsten Nelson, a pre-education sophomore. “It’s important for young adults to explore the world before getting married.”
Some adults agree that waiting is the best choice.
“It does depend on the maturity,” said Debra Wood, a UA math lecturer. “It’s better to wait until they’re both out of college. I told both of my kids to wait, they got married around that age, but they are still happily married to this day.”
Maybe this age is so hard to get married at because after college, we’re trying to get our lives started. Landing a career should be the top priority, and then once we have an income and know we are on our feet, marriage can happen. If college graduates try to get married at the same time as starting a career, it will make the wedding extremely stressful, which probably wouldn’t be a good start to a marriage. If two people truly love each other, they will be able to wait for marriage.
It’s common for us college kids to want to only enjoy the single life, and not have to commit, because commitment leads to getting hurt as a lot of us know from prior experience. Usually, if we’re lucky, someone even better will come along and change that whole perspective. In the future, we will be braver and more open to letting someone in and eventually getting married. So when parents ask about when you’re going to tie the knot and have children, at least you know the facts support waiting.
— Danielle Carpenter is a pre-journalism freshman. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu or on Twitter via @WildcatOpinions.
