Young couples put careers before marriage
Fewer couples are tying the knot in the Waikato – and they are doing it later in life.
Both men and women in Hamilton are deciding to put their careers before marriage.
The number of couples getting married in the city fell from 774 in 2012 to 672 in 2013, or 15 percent, according to the 2013 Census statistics.
Nationally, statistics show the number of people marrying between 2006 and 2013 dropped from 21,423 to 19,237, or 11 percent.
There has been a huge change in the way people see marriage, Larni Hepi, an event planner, says.
“It’s not as important anymore.
“I think it’s to do with the modern society we live in, as well. It’s no longer about being a house wife. Young couples want to have a career, secure their future before they settle down and put a ring on it,” Mr Hepi says.
Hamilton married mother of four, Jan Roberts, says that financial issues play a large part in the decisions around marriage.
“The main reason is the cost to raise a family, and young people today tend to want to set themselves up with a nice home and materialistic things before marriage,” Mrs Roberts says.
Emma Ranford, 25, who grew up in Taranaki and is now living in Australia, doesn’t plan on settling down anytime soon.
“I still think I’m young and want to see and travel the world before I decide to settle down. I really like the independence I have and like the fact that I can earn a living and support myself quite easily without having a partner,” Ms Ranford says.
“A lot of people I have met are the same they would prefer to travel the world and do everything they want to while they are young and before they have kids, so later on in life when they do decide to settle down, get married and have kids they have no regrets about not travelling and saving first.”
Wintec student Alyson Eberle, 28, says people want to get out of study and find work, before they get married.
“I think a lot of couples get married later in life because the mind set of what you do in your twenties has shifted. It used to be you graduated high school, went to university, got married and settled down.” Ms Eberle says.
“Now for a lot of people it’s you graduate high school (if you don’t leave earlier than that) you take an OE, work for a few years, go to uni, and over that time you meet tons of people and if you find the person you want to marry it happens a lot later.”
For more data from the 2013 Census, go to www.stats.co.nz/Census
