Post Date April, 15 2023
Samuli Helle, an ecologist at the University of Turku in Finland, said: "Sami people only get married once in their life. After studying the influence of the age difference between husband and wife in Sami marriage on family fertility, we found that if they marry a woman who is 14.6 years younger than their own age, the young wife will successfully produce more children for their husband, and their offspring will live to at least 18 years old."
In order to eliminate the impact of modern medical progress on the survival rate of children, the researchers obtained the above results by querying the records of 700 couples living in Utsjoki, Inari and Enontekio from the 17th to 19th centuries in the church. However, only 10% of the 700 couples have the best age difference. Among the 700 couples, some men married a woman 20 years older than him, and some women married a husband 25 years older than themselves. The overall average age difference is 3 years. Helle said that more and more Sami marriages do not show the best age difference, which may be related to social factors such as their marriage customs and the ability of reindeer to support their families (Sami people generally rely on reindeer to maintain their lives).
However, women's reproductive age is the biggest factor affecting the survival rate of offspring. The research paper published in Biology Letters points out that young women will produce more healthy children in general. Marrying an older woman as a wife, or marrying a man who is much older than himself, is the most detrimental to successful fertility.
Other studies in Sweden have shown that the ideal fertility match is for a man to marry a woman 6 years younger than him. However, cultural restrictions on marriage have changed. Helle pointed out, "Wealth is the most important factor in marriage (Sami). Love can hardly play any role."
In fact, no matter how old the age difference is, as long as both parties feel happy and healthy, it is the most important thing. After all, procreation is the result of marriage, but it is not the ultimate goal. The purpose of marriage is multifaceted, but happiness is the final and most desirable result for everyone. Just pursue your own happy marriage for happiness. Under this premise, age is not a gap!
