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Longer lifespans don't necessarily mean later marriages.
Animals with similar life-spans to ours, that happen to mate for life (most elephants, for example, and birds, though they can't make it quite as long as us) usually choose a mate not long after the female has the capacity to bear children.
Humans happen to generally wait until a few years after that. In fact, we tend to wait until the most ideal time (thinking in physical terms) for bearing children is already nearly passed.
As far as morality and ethics are concerned, we don't have much to go on. There seem to be pros and cons in each. The primary objections to young marriages seem to be:
1. It's not right for parents to decide for a child! (Meaning arranged marriages at an early age.)
2. People should wait until they're capable of making a good choice before getting married.
Each objection operate on a number of assumptions.
A. Parents don't have a right to make a decision about marriage for a child. Biblically, there is a little bit of room for debate about this, especially taking into account Paul's insinuation that a father decides whether (or who) his daughter can marry.
B What if a person isn't happy with their spouse later in life? Really, that situation could occur regardless of how or why people get married. This notion deserves one response: they'll have to deal with it.
(Note: of course, I accept Biblical reasons for divorce. That's not really what I'm talking about, though.)
C. Young people don't have the wisdom to make a right decision about marriage. And what, pray tell, exactly constitutes a "right" decision? In this case "right" really means that it wasn't a "wrong" decision. In other words, we know what constitutes a mistake, but we don't know how to avoid it. The truth is, marriage isn't about "falling in love with somebody", social maneuvering, or being happy, just like marriage isn't about digging post holes. The state of marriage is a holy institution of God, and it's really about facilitating the family, which God has appointed to be the core of all cultures, peoples, and times.
If a young person knows they'll be able to cooperate and help another young person, and the feeling is mutual, there doesn't really NEED to be any more to it than that.
As for arguments in favor of early marriage:
1. Early marriages give parents a bigger role in the process. In small villages (I can't remember whether it was Korea or China) of the past, children were married around...five. Or younger. So, the parents are along for the ride for a long time, teaching the children all kinds of things.
2. A benefit of being married before puberty is that it means marriage is less likely to be focused on the physical. Young couples will have only one thing to learn: you better get along with each other, 'cause you're going to be getting on each others nerves for a long time.
3. Say goodbye to "falling in love". Culture will return to seeing what love really is: it's a belief, and an action, that you share with others. Not a feeling or sensation.
That said, I don't fall on either side. I believe that marriage ought to be conducted according to social norms, insofar as they conform with Biblical morality.
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I am Ebed Eleutheros, redeemed from slavery in sin to the bond-service of my Master, Jesus Christ.
Redemption is to be purchased, to have a price paid. So I was redeemed from my master sin, and from justice, which demanded my death. For He paid the price of sin by becoming sin, and met the demands of justice by dying for us.
For all men have a master. But a man cannot have two masters. For he will love one and hate the other. You cannot serve God and sin. So I die to the old, as He died, and I am resurrected to the new, as He was resurrected.
Note: Ebed is Hebrew for bondsman, Eleutheros is Greek for unrestrained (not a slave).
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