If you study divorce trends, you’ll quickly find a correlation between the odds of divorce and the age at which people were married. As a general rule, the younger someone is, the greater their odds of getting divorced. Getting married at 23 is relatively more stable than getting married at 18, for example.
In fact, researchers have determined that 32 may be the best age to get married. This is when your divorce odds are the lowest. They go up if you are any younger, and, interestingly, they also go up again for older couples. But why is it that young marriages tend to lead to divorce?
Financial issues
One potential problem is that young couples can run into a lot of financial stress. They may have never worked full-time before. They may not really understand the full cost of all the bills they have to pay to support themselves. This stress can eventually take a toll on the relationship, especially when one or both of them has trouble finding a job.
Brain development
Another thing to consider is simply that human brain development is not done in the teens or even in the mid-20s. It doesn’t really finish until about 25 or 26 years old. As such, people will feel like they’re just growing and changing. If they got married too young, they may change and develop in ways that make them no longer compatible. They end up drifting apart and getting divorced so they can find a different partner who has more in common with them.
Considering divorce options
For couples of any age, it’s important to know about all the legal options you have when thinking about divorce. You also need to make sure you understand your rights and how the process is supposed to play out.