TEHRAN – It's pretty common knowledge that people, on average, are getting married later in life than they used to, for reasons ranging from shifting social norms to the changing economic environment.

As per a report released by Statistical Center of Iran the average age of marriage in Iran, both for men and women, had an increase of 39 months during the past four decades, Fars reported.

The statistics was released based on the 8th nationwide census carried out in October 2016 compared with the average marriage age in the Iranian calendar year 1355 (March 1976-March 1977). 

In the year 1395 (March 2006-March 2007), the average age of first marriage in Iran was 27.4 for men and 23 for women, up from 24.1 for men and 19.7 for women in 1355.

The average age of first marriage for urban women was 20.2, and for rural women 19.1 in 1355, while it changed to 23.4 for urban women and 22 for rural women in 1395, the report added.

While the overall averages have increased, it is interesting to note that the average age difference between men and women has stayed roughly unchanged (4 years and 4 months) since 1976.

While data from 47 countries show that, overall, the median age at first marriage is gradually increasing, this improvement has been limited primarily to girls of families with higher incomes.

All around the world the age when men and women form marital unions is influenced by social norms and expectations regarding their roles as spouse and parent—factors that are plausibly changing with globalization, urbanization, and rising educational attainment; as such, the timing of marriage should be of considerable relevance to researchers interested in the transition to adulthood. 

If, for example, men are now postponing marriage because of greater expectations about job status and employment stability and the material possessions needed to form a household, and women are delaying marriage because of shifting gender roles, it is important to document these patterns of behavior and understand what the potential implications are both for the individuals and for the larger society.

NM/MQ/MG