Majority of Turkish society says marriage between 18 and 24 is ‘ideal’ for women

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Around half of the participants in the survey said the ideal age gap for marriage among men was between the ages of 25 and 29. Hürriyet photo

A majority of Turkish society thinks the ideal age for marriage for women is between 18 and 24, according to a recent survey conducted by the Turkish Family and Social Policies Ministry.

Those who believed 18-24 is the ideal age for marriage constituted about 60 percent of the 20,730 participants in the survey, whereas only a minority of 2.4 percent said the ideal time for women to tie the knot was the 30-34 age range.

Some 10,307 of the overall participants were women, Anadolu Agency said.

Around half of the participants said the ideal age gap for marriage among men was between the ages of 25 and 29, while around 17 percent said 35-44 was a better time for settling down, according to the report.

Thirty percent said it was best for men to marry between the ages of 18 to 24.

Family, relatives introducing spouses

Forty-one percent of participants said they married their first spouses through members of their families and relatives, with 39 percent saying they married their neighbors or those from their own neighborhood.

A minority of 7 percent said they met their spouses through friend circles, while just 3 percent said they married their schoolmates.

Over 80 percent of the marriages occurred with the blessing of the family and the will of those getting married, while 9 percent married against their will due to a family decision, according to the report.