Many people nowadays tend to marry and have children in their thirties rather than at a younger age. Is this a positive or negative development?

Today, we are witnessing the trend that a growing number of couples get married and deliver babies at an older age

instead

of in their twenties. Personally, I am neutral about

this

and think more detailed investigations should be conducted before we jump to a conclusion. On the one hand, delaying marriage and childbirth have several benefits.

Firstly

, young people, especially those from developing countries, generally spend most of their early years studying, pursuing higher education and climbing the social ladder. In

this

case, they often lack romantic experience and can be less emotionally prepared for marriage.

Therefore

, it would be great for the young generation to make full use of their single days to thoroughly understand their preferences and develop hobbies that they will carry into married life.

In addition

to emotional readiness, financial preparation is

also

critical for future family life.

According to

a survey, many young couples in China set a target of deposits before pregnancy to cover expenses

such

as babysitting and children’s education, indicating a better match between life goals and actual family situations.

However

, delaying the age of marriage and pregnancy poses some challenges for the state and individual households. From a country’s perspective,

this

might cause a labour shortage for the foreseeable future. Take Korea as an example, a decline in childbearing willingness at young ages over the past decade has led to the local workforce shrinking significantly in 2022, resulting in a weaker Korean manufacturing sector relative to other Asian countries. From an individual perspective, it is less likely for young couples to have their parents help them with babysitting since grandparents in their sixtieths are physically difficult to bear

such

a hefty responsibility. In conclusion, the consequences of young people getting married and giving birth in their thirties are rather complex and should be evaluated case by case, but local governments need to be ready to minimize any emerging adverse impacts on society and individual families.