O Level Argumentative: Should young people marry young?

Choosing a life partner in order to get married is one of the most important, life-altering decisions one can make. It is not uncommon to see couples fall in love and start dating below the age of twenty one. However, many end up in multiple divorces but never find a truly ideal life partner. Though there is no magical age to get married, one is better of getting married at an older age than a tender age. This is because one must be emotionally and financially independent to have a healthy marriage.

Firstly, a strong marriage takes two mature individuals to make a complete whole. Young people usually do not have the maturity to resolve marital stress and conflict. Without such experience, many marriages end up in divorces. Statistics have shown that divorce rate has been hovering at 50% and teenage and early adult marriages have a divore rate of 80%. Evidently, the earlier one marries, the higher the likelihood that the marriage will fail.


Secondly, love is not enough to keep a marriage working. People's needs, goals and expectations do change over time. Their wish list for an ideal spouse may also alter. Young people often do not have sufficient life experience to really comprehend what they want in their spouses when they are young. Studies indicate that the purely chemical "butterflies in the tummy" feeling one gets when in love only lasts between two to six months. When such feeling is gone, young people may find it difficult to maintain the relationship and regret that they have chosen the wrong life partner.


Thirdly, one has to be financially stable to have a strong marriage. Young people, less than the age of twenty-one, are usually still in the pursuit of education and do not have a well-established career. However, the stresses of a young married couple are real. Without having the means to pay for the bills on housing, medical, food, transport and educational expenses, the marriage may crumble easily as a result. Thus, young people should not rush to take on such difficult adult responsibilities.


However, some may argue that marrying earlier will reduce the risks of the difficulties in conceiving and the likelihood of having babies with medical defects. Although this is true, however what is the point of raising children early when both do not have the maturity and financial capability to do it well? The child may end up growing up in a broken family since many marital conflicts may arise as a result.


Other have argued that by refusing to marry early, one may miss a dream partner. However, this is certainly not true. True love waits. A mature couple will definitely delay marriage until education is completed and there is job stability. Marrying early under compulsion is definitely going to be not beneficial for a marriage.


In conclusion, there is no deadline in getting married. However, marriage is not based on 'a lovey-dovey feeling' but a real commitment to make the marital relationship last.  Would one board a plane knowing that it has a 80% chance of crashing? The answer is an obvious no. Marrying too early without the necessary maturity and financial ability would probably be a one-way ticket to divorce.