Quote:
Originally Posted by Blossom
What age did a woman become a old maid or spinsters in the late 1800s?
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Average age at first marriage would have been in the early 20s for women (mid-20s for men) in Northern Europe for the middle ages and after. I suppose fertility decline would have begun on average by the mid/late 30s, so then or after. Aristocratic marriages would have trended younger, though, because the barriers to younger marriage did not exist so strongly for the wealthy and more marriages were arranged.
Southern Europe and Asia also trended younger, as they didn't have the same barriers to early marriage as Northern European culture has. Northern European culture usually expects a married couple to form their own household, which pushes marriage age up. Younger marriages (especially for women) tend to take place in cultures where the new bride basically moves in with her parents-in-law (as is the case even today in many places).