There are two perceptions of marriage, one for men and one for women. Men are supposed to get married when he's settled or before he goes bald. Tragic but the truth! But women, they are meant to be married in the early 20s or so. But has anyone ever thought, how that can be really harmful to you as a person? Taking your time to figure out where you stand, what you want in life for men and women alike is what is necessary.

When you take your time to first establish, ‘Do I want to get married?', only then can you decide ‘When to get married!'. Getting married can be the most beautiful thing to ever happen to you or it can be a complete nightmare. So, for all the readers who are confused, if they aren't in their 20s anymore or way beyond the societal ‘golden' age to get married, read further.

You'll know why marrying late can actually be very beneficial for you and your partner as well:

1) You know who you are

You've seen pretty much a lot of things by now. Lived in your teenage years, gone through a couple of heartbreaks, lost people, gained new ones, made some special bonds than blood relations, and were gifted by many betrayals. You know what you are, where you stand because of all the choices you've made in your life up till now. Your decisions in choosing a career for you, seeing different kinds of couple, some married for 20 years and some who got divorced in 20 days. You would know now what kind of partner you're looking for, if lucky you've one already. Seeing such different kinds of relationships and going through such experience have guided you to be prepared for your own marriage, as you took your time to be prepared.

2) You'll know what kind of relationship turns into marriage

Knowing yourself well leads to having a good sense of what you're looking for in a relationship. When you know your expectations, your reality, you can share that maturity with your partner that turns into a successful marriage. This may not come in early age as people are experimenting, they're not looking to settle down. But only as you grow up, you learn better things in life and how important little things or valuable a person can be.

3) Gratitude enhanced by the waiting

Once you've waited long enough to get married, you value your better half. You know the time you've spent without them and how lonely it might've gotten at times. Waiting makes you patient and more humble. And that makes any relationship work better than anything. You love and cherish every moment, and are mature during fights. Getting married later in life doesn't mean you are more grateful than someone who married at a young age. But there is a profound sense of gratitude made all the sweeter for the years of waiting and wondering if or when it was going to happen.

4) Learning from other's experience

When you're the last one in your group of friends to marry, you have the opportunity to study your friend's marriages. It's great to have marriage mentors and people who are a few decades ahead of you, but it's also helpful to have people of your age who have experienced the first few years of marriage. Use your single years to ask your friends about what they've learned and if they would do anything differently looking back on their newlywed years. You don't always have to learn from your own experiences, observe others and make a decision.

Have you married late? Did it benefit you? Leave us your views and experience in the comment section below 