I'm pretty sure that the median age of marriage for the first half of the 20th Century was a bit higher (M = 26; W = 22) until WWII, when it fell to M = 23 & W = 20.
In the 19th Century, the figures were even higher for women (23) but the same for men (26).
In the 19th century, as now, the rising cost of property = delaying marriage.
Still not 30, though.
And why do I know this?
My end of the silent generation mother married young (18 to my father's 21), but she would always remind me that my grandparents (members of the greatest generation) married at 27 (grandmother) and 25 (grandfather), telling me there was no hurry to get married.
As an academic, I married late (36 to my partner's 35) and bought a house the following year.
I don't think that is something that can be taught. I doubt it is something that works if people are trying to follow the sequence and jump the gun. After all, many young marriages end in divorce and a child or 2 that don't have the 2-parent household that is considered part of the success sequence. I have 2 brothers. The eldest married a pregnant woman in a traditional church wedding and less than a year after that child was born, the parents split up. Later the same year as wedding #1, the other brother eloped with a pregnant woman and they have stayed together for more than 50 years and have 2 other children all with children of their own. I didn't marry until I was nearly 30 and aborted the child that was conceived soon after because we knew we couldn't afford it and we both needed to keep working. Our first child was born 3 years later and the 2nd was 5 years after that. Child #1 is now 41 years old. Neither is married.
The "Success Sequence" thing reminds me of the (years) pushing the "marshmallow test" thing. SMH. We know what kids need: Stability, food and shelter, love and support, healthcare, and opportunity. Every argument for some character-based new thing is just another way to say that we don't *actually* want to support kids, we want them to be better without tangible support from their society. Ugh.
I'm pretty sure that the median age of marriage for the first half of the 20th Century was a bit higher (M = 26; W = 22) until WWII, when it fell to M = 23 & W = 20.
In the 19th Century, the figures were even higher for women (23) but the same for men (26).
In the 19th century, as now, the rising cost of property = delaying marriage.
Still not 30, though.
And why do I know this?
My end of the silent generation mother married young (18 to my father's 21), but she would always remind me that my grandparents (members of the greatest generation) married at 27 (grandmother) and 25 (grandfather), telling me there was no hurry to get married.
As an academic, I married late (36 to my partner's 35) and bought a house the following year.
I don't think that is something that can be taught. I doubt it is something that works if people are trying to follow the sequence and jump the gun. After all, many young marriages end in divorce and a child or 2 that don't have the 2-parent household that is considered part of the success sequence. I have 2 brothers. The eldest married a pregnant woman in a traditional church wedding and less than a year after that child was born, the parents split up. Later the same year as wedding #1, the other brother eloped with a pregnant woman and they have stayed together for more than 50 years and have 2 other children all with children of their own. I didn't marry until I was nearly 30 and aborted the child that was conceived soon after because we knew we couldn't afford it and we both needed to keep working. Our first child was born 3 years later and the 2nd was 5 years after that. Child #1 is now 41 years old. Neither is married.
The "Success Sequence" thing reminds me of the (years) pushing the "marshmallow test" thing. SMH. We know what kids need: Stability, food and shelter, love and support, healthcare, and opportunity. Every argument for some character-based new thing is just another way to say that we don't *actually* want to support kids, we want them to be better without tangible support from their society. Ugh.