Moving Milestones
The age that we’re reaching landmark moments in adulthood is shifting
THE average age that we hit milestones as adults, such as getting our first job, getting married and buying a home, has been changing over the last 20 years. Figures from the Office for National Statistics offer a timeline of when people are hitting watershed moments. They suggest that these days, more than half of us are in full time work by around the age of 19 years and four months - compared to 17 years and 10 months in 1998. That’s partly due to changes to the school leaving age - which is now 18 years old - but also a rising number of people going to university. Meanwhile, the age at which most young people will leave their parents’ home is now 23 years old, compared to 21 year old two decades ago. This may be due to the rising cost of renting. They’re also most likely to move in with a partner by the age of 27 - which hasn’t changed much in the last 20 years, having fluctuated between 26 and 27. However, the age at which women are having their first child has been increasing, rising from 27 years old 20 years ago to 29 years old today. They’re also having their second child later on, at the age of 31 compared to 29. And while people used to see marriage as a precursor to having children, now it’s the other way round.
The average age for getting married is now 33 for men and 31 for women - up from 30 and 27 respectively two decades ago. Meanwhile, the age at which people own their own home is also continuing to rise. Now, it’s not until the age of 34 that most people live in a home they own - up significantly from 26 years old 20 years ago. As well as the rising cost of buying a house for first time buyers, this is likely linked with the introduction of stricter mortgage lending rules introduced after the 2008 recession. These days, it is 41 year olds who are earning the most compared to those of other ages - younger than 20 years ago, when 47 year olds earned the most on average. In fact, people were more likely to get divorced before they hit the earnings milestone - with the average age of divorce standing at 39 years old two decades ago. Now, the average age of divorce is much higher, at 45 years old. That’s linked to the fact that people are now older when they get married in the first place. People now typically become a grandparent at the age of 63 - three years later than 20 years ago. And they’re also stopping work later, which is partly to do with changes to the State Pension age. The average age of retirement has risen from 62 years old in 1999 to 65 years old this year.