Pretoria - The latest South African marriage and divorce statistics have revealed that women will most likely be getting the bended knee from their men once they reach 37 years of age.
The 2019 statistics in comparison to the 2018 figures showed that there was a decrease in customary marriages by 1.3%, while on the other hand, civil unions increased by 7.3%.
A total of 129 597 civil marriages were recorded, with only 2 789 customary marriages and 1 771 civil unions registered in 2019.
Civil marriages are administered through the Marriages Act, of 1961, with Customary marriages governed by the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 1998 that came into effect on November 15 2000.
A civil union however represents a relationship between same-sex couples that are legally recognised by the state and accommodates persons who cannot or wish not to enter into a marriage under the Marriage Act of 1961.
According to the latest figures, the median age of bridegrooms stood at 37 for men with women getting hitched at 33 years.
Roughly 25% of civil marriages that took place in that year were registered in Gauteng, and the province also featured the highest proportion of civil unions at 44%.
KwaZulu-Natal registered 41.7% of registered customary marriages, with the age difference being men opting for customary marriage at 36, with their brides usually being 30 years old.
And even though more women were said to be instituting divorce proceedings, statistics do however show that there was a 6.2% decrease in divorces.
In 2018 there were 25 284 divorces processed whereas only 23 710 divorces witnessed for the 2019 period.
Pretoria News