If people will live to 90+, then tying knot at 30+ makes sense

Northern Ireland will today find out more about the outcome of the latest census.

In the meantime yesterday, we learned more about the habits and social trends within this society.

One of the most striking findings is that people who get married for the first time now do so typically aged well into their 30s. The Registrar General’s annual report shows that the average ages of brides and grooms in 2021 were 33.4 and 35.4 respectively. This is an increase of almost a decade on the position 30 years ago — in 1991 in NI, the average figures were 26.5 for women and 28.6 for men.

The Northern Ireland Registrar General’s report contains other striking data — for example, there were 7,962 marriages registered in 2021, and 396 same-sex marriages.

The latter, more than 5% of the total, is a substantial increase on the number of same-sex marriages or indeed same-sex civil unions compared to the numbers of such when the latter were first introduced more than 15 years ago.

In summary, there are major changes in how younger people respond to long-term commitments.

For most of the last century, people who have got married have first done so when aged in their 20s. That, however, was itself a big increase in the age in which people tied the knot. In medieval times, it was not unusual to get married in your teens and to become a grandparent in your 30s. Life expectancy then was a fraction of what it is now.

Today, many people live well past their Bibilical three-score-and-ten years. Indeed it is common for people to live past their four-score.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have been inspirational examples of how people can now hope to live fulfilled lives well into their 90s.

Some scientists say young people today can expect to live to 100. If the mid-point in their lives is going to be 50, then getting married at 30 something makes sense.