The Best Age for Marriage:Early 60's Culture and Marriage

The Best Age for Marriage

Early 60's Culture and Marriage

I was born and raised in a small coal mining and dress manufacturing town in North Eastern Pennsylvania. During the time I spent in high school (1958-1961), the consensus was that women did not go to college. Women were supposed to marry and take care of their husbands, homes, and children. 


My dad, who only had a fifth-grade education, insisted that I attend college. I am thankful for his understanding of the importance of education. Curiously, my dad’s rationale rejected the norm of his generation, although he was traditional in other matters. 

I can still remember vividly what he said, “ I want you to go to college and get an education. In that way, if anything happens to your husband, you could take care of yourself and your children." Little did my father know what an invaluable gift he bestowed upon me. In 1965, I received my Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. I married soon afterward at the age of 21. Many of my high school classmates had married by then. Why Marriage Matters: Facts and Figures featured in For Your Marriage discloses, “In 1960, the median age [of marriage] for men was 23 and 20 for women.” (Wilcox) My classmates and I had fit neatly into that median age group. Today, the 2010 U.S. Census data  reports that the median age of first marriage for men is 28.7 and 26.5 for women. 

Live simply.

Speak softly.

Love unconditionally

Next: Why Wait to Marry?