Prenuptial financial autonomy
At the age of 27, Ms. Pham Thi Yen Khoa (Ninh Kieu ward, Can Tho city) plans to think about getting married in 3-4 years. Before getting married, she set a goal to stabilize her career and have a solid enough financial foundation to be proactive in her life.
Society is increasingly developing, I think not only men but also women need financial independence in the family. Therefore, before getting married, I want to have a stable career, job and stable finances. That helps me have initiative as well as a voice in the family," Ms. Khoa said.
For Ms. Khoa, preparing finances before marriage does not mean having to own a lot of assets, but what is important is having a stable job, knowing how to manage income and having a certain amount of savings. This is also a way to reduce pressure when family life starts to incur more expenses.
From a male perspective, Mr. Nguyen Trung Tin (26 years old, O Mon ward, Can Tho city) also aims to have a stable house, car and finances before getting married.
Men are the pillars of the family. I think after marriage there will be many things to worry about, so I need solid finances. Of course, my wife still helps, but I think the husband will still need to bear a lot," Mr. Tin shared.
Mr. Tin said that the goal of having a house and means of transportation before marriage stems from the desire to create a stable foundation for the family later. Besides income, he also wants to have a contingency savings to be more proactive in the face of unexpected expenses.
No need for fullness to get married
According to data from the Statistics Office, in 1999, the average age of first marriage for Vietnamese youth was 24.1 years old. By 2019, this number increased to 25.2 years old, which is only an increase of 1.1 years old after 20 years. However, in the period 2019-2024 alone, the average marriage age increased by 2.1 years, to 27.3 years old.
In many large cities and provinces in the Southeast region, Mekong Delta, men often get married after the age of 30, while many women also start families at the age of 28-29.
According to Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy - Executive Director of the Faculty of Finance - Banking, Nguyen Trai University, the thinking about marriage and finance of young people today has changed a lot compared to previous generations. Young people, especially women, are becoming more proactive in work, finance and lifestyle choices.
“In the context of a strongly transforming economy, the thinking of young people has had clear changes compared to the 7X, 8X or 9X generations. You live more hastily, want to experience more. In particular, female students are very proactive in thinking, lifestyle, work and finance,” Mr. Huy said.
According to experts, many young people today want to stabilize their jobs, achieve a certain position in their careers, and at the same time own a house and a car before considering getting married. These goals are completely legitimate, but if they become mandatory conditions before marriage, young people may have to wait too long.
Mr. Huy believes that financial preparation is necessary, but it is not necessary to achieve all material goals before marriage. The age of around 30 may be a suitable period to consider building a family, instead of waiting until all conditions are perfect.
The requirement to be really successful or have enough houses and vehicles to get married is not necessary. Instead of waiting to accumulate enough alone, two people can get married and accompany each other, save money together to buy a house," Mr. Huy said.
