This is the ideal age to settle down (and it's earlier than you think)
It starts early: Jan comes to you in the doll corner and asks you to marry him, after which you play house until the bell rings. While this is all cute and innocent, it is indeed your first introduction to the house-tree-animal ideal. A bigger question that you'll be dealing with for the rest of your time. When will I put on that white dress? When do I want a little one? And what is the right time to do all this? According to the Pew Research Center, it's 27 years young.
Emotional maturity
An important factor for the age of 27 is emotional maturity. Over the years (and boyfriends), you learn a lot about what to do and what not to do. Sometimes you learn that the hard way, but at least you won't forget it for the rest of your life. You know better what you need, where your boundaries lie, and who you are both inside and outside of a relationship.
Financial stability
After the doll corner and your study time, you enter the next phase: working. Earning money and slowly but surely getting your life in order. My mother always said: ‘You can buy a Porsche with a child.’ She didn't mean to encourage trading children for expensive cars, but to emphasize how much money you spend on a child. Diapers and clothing, but also swimming lessons: all expensive. 27 is the sweet spot because you're no longer constantly in survival mode. You have a job, a rhythm, and hopefully a small savings pot. The idea of building something together is less of a vague future image and becomes increasingly tangible.
Biological factors
Your body, however, does not think about emotional maturity and financial stability. Biologically, your body switches early (on average at 13 years) to ‘this would be a good time for babies.“ In your late twenties, you are in a phase where your fertility is still relatively high. That doesn't mean that everything after that is ”too late', absolutely not, but it does explain why this age is often seen as a sort of natural point to think about marriage and babies.
Is 27 the magic number?
No, not necessarily. Let's set one thing straight: there is no deadline for love. Except for the biological clock for children, but that doesn't stop at 27 years. Some are ready earlier than others, and that's perfectly fine. Look at Hilary Swank, she had her first twins at age 48. She proved that age is really just a number.
Please do not see 27 as the target age to have everything in order. Settling is not about a specific age, but about a feeling. About the moment when you think: this feels right. This is what I want. For many people, that is somewhere around their 27th. But it could just as well be 25. Or 42. Or somewhere in between. So it's pretty simple: does it feel good? Then you're probably at the right moment.
Credit: Image | Courtesy of A24
