I will be glad to know what effect the age difference between a husband & wife, has on marriage. <p>What need be the ideal minimum age of a lady for her to be married? And why?<p>What need to be the maximum ideal age difference between husband & wife? And why?<p>Am asking these questions because I am in friendship with a pleasant young lady who is 20 years of age and I am 32 years.<p>Everything being favourable, should I develope a closer friendship with a marriage goal in mind?

Thanks for your anticipated response.

Age is far less important than emotional maturity. The minimum age required for marriage, in most states, is 18, but of course you're speaking not of legalities but of ideals. At 20, your lady friend might be well-grounded, ready and willing to take on a life-long committment, or she might still be figuring out who she is and what she wants from life.<p>There is little harm in developing a closer friendship, but while you're at a place in your life where you have marriage in mind, she might not. Has she indicated long-term interest in a relationship with you? When you talk together about your plans and your goals, does she mention marriage? Is it referred to as a far-off or "someday" thing, or a present possibility?<p>If your friendship is new, it will of course be at least a few years before marriage would really be an option. I suspect there'll be time enough, when you know each other better, to find out whether the age difference would matter in your particular case.