今日女性为何大多30才结婚

 　　The typical first-time bride is now 30-years-old when she walks down the aisle¹, according to UK's national statistics. They also show that the number of marriages is at its lowest level since 1895.

　　英国国家数据显示，如今大部分头婚新娘年纪都在30岁。数据还显示，年婚姻数目已下降到自1895年来的最低点。

　　Women today are on average nearly eight years older than their mothers were when they married for the first time. In 1970 the typical first-time bride was 22. By 1991 she was 25, and by 2000 the average age rose to 28.

　　平均而言，当今女性头婚时年纪几乎比她们母亲头婚的年纪大了8岁。1970年时头婚新娘才22岁，1991年是25岁，到2000年平均年龄为28岁。

　　Men are also older before they tie the knot. The typical groom² is now just past his 32nd birthday when he marries for the first time. In 1970 the average groom was 24, in 1991, he was 27 and in 2000 he was 30.

　　男人们结婚时的年龄也偏大。现今的新郎头婚时平均年龄为32岁，1970年为24岁，1991年为27岁，2000年则是30岁。

　　Royal weddings reflect the age trend. When Kate Middleton marries Prince William this month, she will be 29, and he will be 28. By contrast, when Diana Spencer became the Princess of Wales she was just 20.

　　皇家婚礼也反映了这种趋势。本月凯特和威廉大婚，届时凯特29岁，威廉28岁。相比之下，戴安娜成为王妃时仅有20岁。

　　Anastasia de Waal, deputy director of the Civitas think-tank, said many women were putting off marriage till their 30s to develop their careers. "In the past, achieving 'adulthood³' for women was about setting yourself up for family life whereas now it's about setting yourself up first." The cost of the wedding could also be a factor in the delay, she said。

　　阿纳斯塔西娅是英国智库机构Civitas的副主任，她称许多女性为了事业将婚姻推迟到了30多岁才举行。“过去，‘成年’就意味着女人们能为家庭独当一面，而如今则意味着自立自强。”她还称婚姻的高成本也成为晚婚的一个因素。

1 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

2 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

3 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。