Re: Why do?
I think, historically, the reason people got married at a much younger age in our culture, particularly women, is the high mortality rate, especially in the more remote tribal areas. I think, gradually, this has become part of our culture, even among people living in large cities or even abroad where the mortality rate is not an issue. Among people living abroad, I think another factor that that results in a bit of an age difference is that we don’t do the joint family bit, so most guys are a bit older by the time they become established in their careers, have a place of their own (or can afford a place of their own) and finally get married.
In my family, there are only two couples, that I know of, where the guy is not older. One case is my brother and his wife. They’re the same age, although a couple of months apart. The only other case is my cousin and her husband, where she is older than him by 1 year. In my husband’s family, I don’t think there are any couples where the girl is older than the guy. The age gap is usually 5 to 8 years, with the guy being older. My husband is 7 and a half years older than me and age the gap has never been an issue in all the time that I’ve known him (and that’s quite a bit as I’ve known him since my first year of uni). Some people find 7 years to be quite a bit and find it odd (especially as it was not arranged) but I don’t think the age difference makes a difference if people are on the same page.