I Do? Today's Newlyweds Are Getting Older (VIDEO)

These days people are calling the twenties the new teens, the thirties the new twenties, and so on. And marriage patterns are falling right in line with that way of thinking.

Trends show that people are waiting longer to get married. In 1960 the average age of newlyweds was 23 years old; in 2009 it was 28.

CBS interviewed Care.com's Robi Ludwig and Pop Goes the Week editor Brian Balthazar to discuss this trend.

"A lot of people in this generation, their parents got divorced, their friends' parents got divorced. So they're like, why would I want to put myself through that?" said Balthazar.

There are other reasons to wait, too. Being older generally means you're in a better financial situation, have more education under your belt and are more mature. "If you get married young and you don't know who you are, the chances of that relationship lasting can be very slim," said Ludwig.

TV and movies are also affecting young people's attitudes toward marriage, as they compare their problematic, real-life relationships to the perfect fairy tales depicted on screen. "This idea of a soul mate can actually be damaging," Ludwig said.

Watch the entire interview below:

Comments

[TaoJonz]

11:58 AM on 06/27/2010

Interesting discussion. One important factor left out...the second/subsequent marriages of people who were divorced earlier and re-marry much later in life. My son who is 30 and never married, is still not even close. Very different priorities when I married at 27. I, myself got married again after MANY years of being single in the late 50's. So my take on the whole marriage/age/demographic discussion is that most of our society is being more thoughtful about when to get married, and what being married means. What I expect from this marriage is radically different that when I married at 27. I see these statistics as evidence of a changing culture....fewer children perhaps, later life marriages for more practical reasons.

[Box500]

09:43 PM on 06/28/2010

A realization that marriage is outdated and unnecessary is finally here. And if people still do it, they are completely unrealistic about it, usually.

[TaoJonz]

11:49 AM on 06/29/2010

I don't agree at all. Just because timing and methodology may change as our culture evolves...does not suggest that marriage is outdated and unnecessary. There is abundant clinical research and evidence, (along with just common sense) that says that children have the best chance to thrive in tradtional, two parent families. This is indisputable. In the later years...children are not the priority, but companionship and stabilty as well as social comforts are bigger priorities....again, a preference for a good deal of older Americans.

The issue that isn't being addressed is: What personal responsibility does the average person take on for personal/spiritual/financial maturity and growth that make them good candidates for what marriage requires??

[dawn9476]

11:03 PM on 06/26/2010

This is not really news. It has been reported for years how the average age a woman and man gets married has risen.

[amymari]

07:09 PM on 06/26/2010

Most of the comments on this post are talking about the young people getting established, have careers and degrees, financial stability, before getting married. What about maturity? Now, not all people mature as they age, but plenty do. You are not the same person at 22 that you are at 30, this I can attest to. The more mentally and emotionally mature you are, the better your success at a long term relationship such as marriage. This is far more important than having savings as a precursor to marriage.

[Cave Dweller]

04:56 PM on 06/25/2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/garden/24cottage.html?src=me&ref=general

[Box500]

09:43 AM on 06/25/2010

First, I will say I am not a big fan of marriage in general. But...it's certainly good that people are waiting until they are older and more established to get married. BUT...what about the dramatically rising numbers of late-thirties women who put off marriage or having kids while waiting for the "perfect" guy...only for panic to set in now that their odds of having kids are plummeting more quickly every day? I know many of these women and they are not happy that their dream of a family is now much more unlikely every day. Of course, women are having kids later and later due to medical science...but let's face it, the chances of infertility still rise dramatically. Just saying, one has to make a choice. Are women just reducing the window to about 5 years to (likely) have kids, instead of 20?

[amymari]

07:05 PM on 06/26/2010

"Of course, women are having kids later and later due to medical science...but let's face it, the chances of infertility still rise dramatically. Just saying, one has to make a choice. Are women just reducing the window to about 5 years to (likely) have kids, instead of 20?"

Maybe they are reducing their window. But, as in anything, you have choices to make and all choices have consequences. Sometimes your dreams don't become reality, or the dream changes. Do these women who want families consider adoption? Or are they set on pregnancy and a baby, with their DNA?

[I Tx]

04:04 PM on 06/28/2010

The numbers of "childfree by choice" couples are also on the rise. A significant number of my female friends in their early to late thirties have made the decision to simply not have children at all for a wide variety of reasons.

[Box500]

09:41 PM on 06/28/2010

I am all for choices. I'm just saying I know a lot of women who have painted themselves into a corner by waiting so long when they always wanted a family.

[wrldtrvlr3341]

05:48 PM on 06/24/2010

I applaud people enjoying their lives first, getting an education and some financial stability before starting a family, as once you start a family, you have to put someone else first for the next 24 years (birth through college & sometimes grad school). I think the family has a better chance as the parents are less likely to feel they have missed out on their own lives and dreams.

[llisa]

01:36 PM on 06/24/2010

Both my daughters waited till their late twenties to get married. One husband was 30. They all had their masters' degrees, careers, one daughter had already bought a house. They were not kids who knew nothing about what it costs to live, and they had gotten to know each other very well before marriage.

They paid for their own weddings. That alone seems a good goal for young people to set. They are more mature, they know what they can afford, and the weddings are more modest and tasteful.

I think this is a very good trend.

[vippy]

11:51 AM on 06/24/2010

Where I grew up in Germany, young people graduate from school, take a job, enjoy themselves, travel, etc. and later marry and most are in their 30s when they decide to finally have a child or two.
Divorce rates are also smaller. Oh, by the time they get married they have all the necessities.

[Pauline Walters]

11:46 AM on 06/24/2010

I think it is great that Newlyweds are getting older. It is smart to kind of establish yourself before taking the plunge.People need to explore life before settling down and get an education and so forth. I think people get more grounded and mature as they get older well ... with the exception of David Spade and Tom Cruise.

[llisa]

01:31 PM on 06/24/2010

lol