Passage 2 Getting married later in life could lead to a happy, long-lasting marriage. In 1960, the median age for marrying was 20.3 for women and 22.8 for men, the US Census Bureau reports. The median has been rising for decades with good reasons. Theoretically, couples who get married later already have maintained a steady job and have time to build up their salaries. Many young couples struggle with money because one or both partners are trying to find or maintain a new job on a starting salary. Money especially can create a strain on a new relationship. Couples who get married later typically have made decisions to secure financial stability before getting married. This means they have more money with which to enjoy a comfortable marriage together. A study of the National Institutes of Health has suggested that the brain has not fully developed before the age of 25. This means that major life decisions early on might indicate risky behavior. Couples who wed too young may have not explored all their options whether it be personal life goal or partner. Immature relationships can lead to unhappy marriages or divorces. Presumably, if you wait to get married older, you have more life experience and know what you want in a marriage partner. Couples who marry young may get married right out of college or even before they graduate. Without waiting to get married, many young couples make sacrifices for the sake of their marriage that older couples do not have to make. Couples who get married older have the time to gain full degrees if they desire and explore options for continuing education. Specialized degrees are able to be attained more easily before settling down in marriage. Couples will be happier knowing that they did not make any sacrifices in life by enjoying their time alone and establishing personal goals, then settling down later in life. If they get married older, it is more likely that both parents have time to do what they want to do in life, whether it be going to a law school or taking a three-month backpacking trip through Europe.