Am I the only one who has heard that Jewish men and women get married early because they have “certain urges” that can only be fulfilled in the context of marriage?
I had a religious friend who explained to me that that’s what he was taught. I have heard this before from other sources of authority as well. It’s not about maturity. It’s about keeping sex and unions holy, where marriage is the only proper setting during appropriate halachic times.
Furthermore, my rabbi explained that getting married at a young age is preferable because the husband and wife grow together (Chabad Rabbi 4yr ago). Again, it’s not about maturity. Marriage allows two individuals to re-unite [their souls] and mature together towards the same goals, with the same values.
He said that when people wait to get married, it is harder for them to adjust to living with someone else (which I can only imagine right now).
When I asked the [his] rebbetzin about why she had children, she said that it wasn’t something to think about. There was no question, “It’s not like I decided or thought about it. We have children” (Chabad Rebbetzin last Pesach).
Along those lines, it seems like being married is normal. If someone is of marriageable age, one gets married to the most suitable partner. One does not need to be “ready” to get married per se.