Title: Ideal Age for Marriage: 25 for Women and 27 for Men
Headings: Ideal Age for Marriage: 25 for Women and 27 for Men
Ideal Age for Marriage: 25 for Women and 27 for Men
Average ideal age for both genders has increased in last 60 years
Survey Methods
The Five Conditions Assessment

Content: Only 11% of Americans say men should be married by age 21, while nearly one in three believe men should celebrate their 30 th birthday before their wedding. Gallup asked a similar question in 1946. The results of that survey show opinions have shifted significantly over time. Americans are much more likely now than they were 60 years ago to believe it is appropriate for men and women to wait until a later age to get married. In 1946, the median ideal age for women to marry was 21, compared to the median age of 25 today. In 1946, half of Americans said women should be married by age 21, while only 4% said they should be over the age of 25. There has been less change in Americans' perceptions of the ideal age for a man to marry. The median reported ideal age for men to marry was 25 years in 1946, compared with the median of 26 years today (the current mean age of 27 is slightly higher than the median because some respondents reported very high ages for men). In 1946, 70% of Americans believed men should be married by age 25, compared with 44% who say that today. There has been a near tripling in the percentage of Americans that believe the best age for men to marry is after their 30 th birthday (from 11% in 1946 to 30%) today.