The Prevalence of Late Marriage and the Information Sources of Clients in Premarital Counseling Centers about Marriage

Aim: This study aimed to: a) investigate the prevalence of women’s marriage above the age of 35 years, b) determine the magnitude of age gap between women and men who want to marry, and c) assess the clients’ information sources in premarital counseling centers about marriage. Methods: In this descriptive-analytic cross-sectional study, we collected the data of all marriages registered in one year period in two premarital consulting centers in Tabriz City. Also the prevalence of women’s marriage above the age of 35 was calculated. All subjects registered in one month were asked about their information sources about marriage and the age gap between woman and man. Findings: In total, the median age of marriage for women was 21 years and for men was 26 years. In 5% (no. 980) of all marriages, the age of bride was above 35 years. On average, women were 5 years older than men. The main information source of the couples about marriage was their families followed by mass media like Radio & TV. Conclusion: A substantial proportion of women’s marriages occur after the age of 35 and this issue necessitates the actions to improve the knowledge of young people about the ideal age for marriage in order to reduce the couples’ problems and decrease the probability of congenital diseases in their children.

کلیدواژه ها:

Marriage ، Age at marriage ، Knowledge