Most Indonesian Men Marry at a Later Age Than Women

Based on a report by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), child marriage still exists in Indonesia. It is recorded that, in general, 19.24% of young people have their first marriage between the ages of 16-18. Furthermore, 2.26% of young people marry before the age of 15.

Different patterns are observed based on gender. The majority of men's first marriages are between 22-24 years old (35.21%) and 25-30 years old (30.52%), while for women, the majority are between 19-21 years old (37.27%).

"This shows a tendency for young men in Indonesia to have their first marriage at a more mature age compared to young women," as quoted from the *2022 Youth Statistics* report.

On the other hand, a significant number of women's first marriages are still below the age of 19 (29.78%). This percentage is much higher than that of young men, where only 7.77% have their first marriage below the age of 19.

Twitter was once abuzz with netizens' tweets on the topic of "don't rush into marriage." This is because it is related to the mental, physical, and financial readiness of the couple.

The National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) recommends a minimum marriage age of 21 for women and 25 for men.

According to BKKBN, several considerations include:

1. A still-labile psychological age will affect child-rearing patterns.
2. Maturity of age and mental state can impact the child's nutrition and health.
3. Child marriage can put adolescent girls at risk of health problems due to early pregnancy.
4. There is a potential risk of cervical cancer in adolescents under 20 who engage in sexual activity.

Therefore, early marriage should be avoided. The goal is for both partners to be physically and mentally prepared.