The family is the most important social institution. And the basis of family relations is marriage - a special form of union between equal partners, a man and a woman, who are connected by a common life, sexual relations and mutual responsibility.
Today, about a third of marriages are unviable and break up. In this regard, sociologists and psychologists around the world are actively studying the question of how many years to get married in such a way as to form a strong unit of society with harmonious relations.
At the same time, the legislation of each country determines the minimum age for marriage, before which you cannot marry or get married. In different countries, the age limit is set based on cultural and historical traditions. And even in Russia, it varies depending on a specific region.
Historical reference
In pre-Christian Russia, the minimum age for marriage was very low: 10 years for girls and 11 for boys. After Christianity was firmly established in our country, the marriage age was increased to 12 and 15 years, for girls and boys, respectively.
For the failure to extradite their daughters, the authorities took a large fine, so the girls were "lost their hands" as early as possible. Yes, and the girls themselves were waiting for this event, since with their marriage their social status changed. That is why fortune telling in Russia was extremely popular: "how to find out how old you will get married." Guessed on cards, candles, pins, a popular method was to ask the first person they met and find out their fate in this way. The traditions of holy divination are observed today, but to a lesser extent and more for entertainment.
Since 1774, the Holy Synod, as the supreme organ of spiritual authority, still raised the minimum threshold for girls — now they could be married from the age of 13.
In 1917, when the Bolsheviks came to power, the minimum age of marriage was established: for women - 16 years old, for men - 18 years old. After 10 years, in 1927, a single minimum age for marriage was established, the same for both sexes - 18 years. But for the republics of Transcaucasia, he was reduced to 13 and 16 years old, for girls and boys, respectively.
Russian legislation
How old can you get married in Russia? According to article 13 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, a man and a woman can register their union with the registry office only after each of the newlyweds is 18 years old. There is no maximum age threshold (in tsarist Russia it was 80 years old).
However, sometimes for a number of reasons, a decrease in marriageable age is allowed. In addition, in several regions of the Russian Federation, the threshold is lowered due to cultural and historical traditions.
Decrease in marriage age in Russia
After how many years can I get married in various regions of the Russian Federation? The marriage age has been officially reduced in 27 regions of Russia, and you can enter into a marriage union in them:
- from 15 years old - in Ryazan, Murmansk, Chelyabinsk and several other regions of the Russian Federation;
- without a minimum threshold - in Tatarstan, but here it must be understood that even if the minimum age for marriage is not specified in the legislation of the republic, marriage cannot be registered earlier than 14 years, as younger citizens of the country do not have a passport;
- from 14 years old - in Moscow, Tyumen, Samara, Vladimir and some other areas.
In all constituent entities of the Russian Federation, it is possible to reduce the minimum threshold for marriage to a maximum of 16 years, for the following reasons:
- pregnancy;
- the couple already has a child;
- difficult life situation, for example, the bride is an orphan or grows up in an incomplete or dysfunctional family;
- threat to life;
- serious disease;
- finding a person in the army.
An application for permission to register a marriage, if one of the spouses has not reached the age of 18, may be submitted by minors themselves, their parents or legal representatives.
At what age can marriage be registered in other countries
Many are also interested in how many years you can get married in other countries of the world. In most countries, the minimum marriage threshold is approximately the same and is still the same 18 years. However, each state has its own nuances of local legislation that allow you to marry much earlier than recommended:
- In the United States, the minimum age for marriage ranges from 15 (with parental consent 13) to 21 years, depending on the particular state.
- In China, one of the highest marriage thresholds in the world is 20 and 22 years old, for girls and boys, respectively.
- In India, one can officially marry at the age of 18 (women) and 21 (men), but the problem of early marriages in this country is still relevant.
- In Tunisia - 17 and 20 years.
- In Ecuador, one of the lowest marriage thresholds is 12 and 14 years old for girls and boys, respectively.
- In Kenya and Yemen, you can marry from the age of 9.
- In the UK and Spain - from 16 years old.
Statistics
How old are you getting married in Russia? According to statistics, for the first time girls enter into marriage at the age of 18-25, the average age for the first marriage is 23 years. In men, the indicators are higher, they get married for the first time in 22-27 years.
If we talk about all marriages, including repeated marriages concluded by people under 50 years old, then the average age of the couple will be the following: 25-26 years for women and 27-28 years for men.
How old are girls in other countries? The numbers are:
- 25 years in the USA and Belgium;
- in Sweden, the highest rates are 33 years;
- in Norway a little less - 31.5 years;
- Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Austria Finland - 31 years old;
- in Japan and Canada - 27 years;
- in France - 29 years.
So, despite the fact that girls in Russia get married later than a couple of decades ago, when the average age of the bride was 21 years old, we are still different from confident Europeans who are in no hurry to go down the aisle.
Early marriage
How old is best to get married? An early marriage is most often dictated not by a conscious decision of two lovers, but by coincidence. Most often, they enter into early marriage for the following reasons:
- unexpected pregnancy;
- desire to feel independent;
- living in a family with a difficult situation, the desire to escape from a negative environment;
- desire to get away from excessive parental care.
According to statistics, almost 70% of women who marry before the age of 20 are dissatisfied with their union, and it does not matter if it ends in divorce or not.
However, in an early marriage, there is nothing terrible or frankly bad if the person at the time of registration is quite mature and independent. Often such unions are quite successful - the spouse has greater psychological “flexibility” and adapts to her husband, there is the opportunity to raise children early and remain young and attractive, etc.
Nevertheless, deciding what time to get married, one should not forget about the negative aspects of early marriages, namely: the lack of life experience, skills for housekeeping, reduction of time for entertainment and friends and dissatisfaction due to missed opportunities.
Late marriage
Late marriages after 30 years are most often based on a cold sober calculation. This does not mean that the spouses do not have tender feelings for each other, but they have all aspects of the marriage clearly stipulated: domestic issues, budget allocation, even the intimate side of the issue. More like a business deal than a union of lovers. But such unions are quite strong.
Psychological readiness to enter into marriage
But how many years to get married, so that it is not too early and not too late? Lawyers do not recommend marriage before the age of 21, since it is after this figure that a person is considered more mature and responsible.
Psychologists consider marriage to be ideal in the interval from 23 to 27 years. During this period, studies at the university are already behind, the first steps in a successful career have begun, and the girl is a fully-formed personality who understands what she wants from life and from the upcoming marriage.
At the same time, readiness for family life includes three components:
- Social and moral: suitable age, satisfactory health and economic viability.
- Motivational readiness: this includes, as well as the formed feeling of love and affection for the spouse, and readiness for increased responsibility, the birth and upbringing of children.
- Psychological readiness: similar views, interests and preferences of spouses, the ability to smooth out sharp corners and make compromises.