It is a remarkable fact that bachelors, widowers, spinsters, and widows marry now at a greater age than formerly. The following table shows the increase in age between the years 1896 and 1908, the ages given being averages, carried to two decimal points, of all marriages in England and Wales where ages have been recorded.

From the Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia.

7 Responses to “The Marriage Age, 1896-1908”

1. heidenkind Says:
   May 14th, 2010 at 3:43 PM

   Hur? It doesn’t really seem like the ages changed that much….

2. Hels Says:
   May 14th, 2010 at 5:42 PM

   It would be very interesting to know if the marrying age for single men and women changed as a result of the Boer War and particularly as a result of World War One. The Boer War may have left fewer men available for marriage, but it doesn’t seem to have changed the ages of the brides and grooms who did marry.

3. Amanda Says:
   May 17th, 2010 at 5:35 PM

   What a great post!

   And things have changed more – not a single one of my mates from school or university was married by 25, and very few by 30. We’re now about 32, and a few are taking the plunge.

4. Evangeline Holland Says:
   May 26th, 2010 at 8:32 PM

   Thanks! I was surprised by this chart because I’d always believed that men married for the first time at a late age, while women married fairly early (17-21). But I think things remain the same–people then and today put off marriage because they can’t afford it and they wish to take advantage of educational and career opportunities.

5. Evangeline Holland Says:
   May 26th, 2010 at 8:46 PM

   You know…I theorize that the age for first-time marriages increased because of the widening opportunities for both men and women in education and occupation. Even though common perception of a “woman’s place” held fast, I believe that working women weren’t so anxious to wed now that they’d gotten a taste of financial independence, and living on their own made them think about choosing to marry for love rather than security (add in the women who attended college). Also, men, now able to make a living in the vast colonial possessions and industries, decided to wait until they’d amassed a tidy sum before marrying.

6. Maili Says:
   May 26th, 2010 at 10:39 PM

   That list is pretty much the same as it’s been for a couple of centuries among the working class in England. The average married age of English women dropped to 16 and thereabouts between 1940s and 1970s (I can’t remember why, though. Probably linked to the emerging recognition of the ‘teenage’ period.

   Anyroad, one sociologist said the 1960s still holds the youngest average marriage age record. If I remember right, late 17th century still holds the oldest average marriage age record (women: 28 and men: 32).

7. Evangeline Holland Says:
   May 27th, 2010 at 12:04 AM

   Thanks for stopping by Maili, and adding to the conversation. That’s interesting that the average age dropped so low during a thirty year period–maybe it was the result of WWII?