კონფერენცია

∘ Nana Menabdishvili ∘
THE MAIN TRENDS IN MEDIAN AGE AT FIRST MARRIAGE

Summary

Modernization of wedding behavior is common in many countries around the world. This is manifested by such indicators as: a decrease in the number of marriages, an increase in the number of divorces, an increase in the number of cohabiting partners and, consequently, an increase in the share of children born in unmarried couples, increase in the median age at first marriage, and etc. The median age of marriage depends on the country, its culture, religion, values, traditions, and etc. Until recently, the marriage age of women in many countries was lower than that of man. But because of gender equality it has grown to the age of men in many places.

The average age at first marriage in European countries is as follows: the earliest marriages are observed in Eastern European countries, where the bride’s age ranges between 22 and 26 years while the groom’s ranges between 24 and 27 years. In most Central European countries, women get married at the age of 27 and men at the age of 30. As for Northern, Southern and Western Europe, the average age at first marriage is highest here. Sweden leads with a high rate of this data.

The median age of registered marriages in Georgia has shown a steady increase over the last ten years. The average age of marriage for women was 25.6 in 2009 and 29.7 in 2019. In the case of men, the same growth was less pronounced. The median age of their marriage was 30.2 and 32.6 years, respectively. As for the median age of first marriage, the age increase of women during this period was 2.4 times higher than that of men. Accordingly, if in 2009 the age of women at first marriage was 25.2, by 2019 it has become 28.1 years. While this figure in men was 28.8 years in 2009 and 30.7 years in 2019. This trend is likely to continue.

According to the results of a sociological survey, 3/5 of the respondents believe that the main reason for late marriage is the choice of the desired partner. This reason was named by respondents of both sexes, although women pay more attention on this. The majority of men name their financial situation (63%), job (60.2%).

The unequal distribution of the sexes creates problems on the wedding market. In Georgia, the number of men under the age of 30 exceeds the number of women, although the number of women over the age of 30 and older exceeds that of men. The high emigration of men plays an important role in this. Most of them emigrate at the age of 20-39, that creates a shortage of men at the wedding market.

Keywords: median age of marriage, the trend toward increasing the marriage age.

Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Paata Gugushvili Institute of Economics International Scientific C O N F E R E N C E S "ECONOMY – XXI CENTURY"

E ISSN 2587 - 4691	∘ Nana Menabdishvili ∘ THE MAIN TRENDS IN MEDIAN AGE AT FIRST MARRIAGE Summary Modernization of wedding behavior is common in many countries around the world. This is manifested by such indicators as: a decrease in the number of marriages, an increase in the number of divorces, an increase in the number of cohabiting partners and, consequently, an increase in the share of children born in unmarried couples, increase in the median age at first marriage, and etc. The median age of marriage depends on the country, its culture, religion, values, traditions, and etc. Until recently, the marriage age of women in many countries was lower than that of man. But because of gender equality it has grown to the age of men in many places. The average age at first marriage in European countries is as follows: the earliest marriages are observed in Eastern European countries, where the bride’s age ranges between 22 and 26 years while the groom’s ranges between 24 and 27 years. In most Central European countries, women get married at the age of 27 and men at the age of 30. As for Northern, Southern and Western Europe, the average age at first marriage is highest here. Sweden leads with a high rate of this data. The median age of registered marriages in Georgia has shown a steady increase over the last ten years. The average age of marriage for women was 25.6 in 2009 and 29.7 in 2019. In the case of men, the same growth was less pronounced. The median age of their marriage was 30.2 and 32.6 years, respectively. As for the median age of first marriage, the age increase of women during this period was 2.4 times higher than that of men. Accordingly, if in 2009 the age of women at first marriage was 25.2, by 2019 it has become 28.1 years. While this figure in men was 28.8 years in 2009 and 30.7 years in 2019. This trend is likely to continue. According to the results of a sociological survey, 3/5 of the respondents believe that the main reason for late marriage is the choice of the desired partner. This reason was named by respondents of both sexes, although women pay more attention on this. The majority of men name their financial situation (63%), job (60.2%). The unequal distribution of the sexes creates problems on the wedding market. In Georgia, the number of men under the age of 30 exceeds the number of women, although the number of women over the age of 30 and older exceeds that of men. The high emigration of men plays an important role in this. Most of them emigrate at the age of 20-39, that creates a shortage of men at the wedding market. Keywords: median age of marriage, the trend toward increasing the marriage age.