‘Ideal marrying age is 24’

The Population Commission (PopCom) has said 24 is still the ideal age for marrying, even as it urged the youth to exercise restraint in these modern times.

"We may have entered the modern age but I think it is still best for our youth to get married at the age of 24. For me, it’s not too young and not too old for married life," said PopCom executive director Tomas Osias.

He however cautioned that women should not wait too long to tie the knot and bear children, because a first pregnancy nearing middle ripe age may entail complications.

Osias noted in an interview that at age 24 one would have likely completed education and had prepared oneself emotionally, physically and financially for the responsibilities of married life.

He added that those who married at the "wrong time" tend to jeopardize their future and, subsequently, the welfare of their children.

"By marrying early, you oftentimes lose many opportunities in life like earning a degree. And when babies start coming at the time you are also looking for a job, money will soon become a problem for you," he said.

Earlier PopCom expressed alarm over the results of the third Young Adult Fertility Survey (YAFS) that showed 4.9 million young Filipino adults were engaged in premarital sex.

They composed 26 percent of the 18.8 million population aged 15 to 27. The survey was conducted by the University of the Philippines-Population Institute and Demographic Research and Development Foundation in 2002.

The YAFS website showed "a substantial increase in the percentage of those who lost their virginity prior to marriage" as compared to the survey conducted in 1994.

About 18 percent of the 15-24 year olds in 1994 experienced premarital sex, the website said, as compared to 23 percent for the same age group in 2002.

"We really have to intensify education campaign among the youths to discourage them from getting into something that they may regret later," Osias said.

But Osias maintained that getting married later than 34 could become risky for women who have their own biological clock. By this age too they might have already acquired health problems like hypertension and diabetes, which would make childbearing even more delicate.

"While it is not good to marry early, it is also too risky (for women) to marry late. So I really think that the ideal age for settling down is 24," he added.