It may sound exciting to marry young— young and in love— a cliche romantic comedy plot in the making. There are many advantages and disadvantages to marrying young, but the downsides outweigh the benefits. The decision to get married or not can only be made by the people marrying, but there are many factors that go into being prepared for marriage. 

If someone is thinking of marrying young, there is really no right answer. It’s up to personal circumstances and variables such as economic and social status in play. Once the variables are tallied up, the right answer for someone can only be made by them. 

Marrying young comes with the added advantage of time together. While this can be the case, in a website article by Payoff they stated, marriages are more successful for those who wait until they are older to get married than those who get married when they are younger. 

Another advantage of marrying young is being able to plan a future with a partner instead of alone. Both spouses can share the burden of planning and figuring things out together as they have a shoulder to lean on and a constant supply of emotional support. But a person can plan their future at any time and still get that constant support later in life. There’s no harm in waiting a few more years to start planning.

With advantages also comes downfalls as it may be financially straining to support two people at a younger age. Millennials these days are suggested to carry the burden of about $23,064 in debt, Consumer News and Business Channel said. CNBC stated More than one-third of students with college loans said that their student debt contributed to their divorce

A lack of freedom also occurs when getting married at such a young age. There are less nights out with friends or going out late in general. Every decision comes with a  consequence since there is another person relying on the other, Metropolitan Girls said. This also goes along with the sacrifices that have to be made when people get married young.  

Finding a balance in a young marriage can happen, but it’s unlikely with a 48 percent chance of divorce for people marrying under the age of 20, Wilkinson and Finkbeiner Family Law stated.  As well as, marriages that are prior the age of 20 are only 39 percent likely to end in divorce 

Marrying young requires there to be a balance between the relationship and employment and friends. Finding that may be harder than many believe true.