Marriage and the stable society: The continued importance of marriage
Daniel Lilley, December 2024
Marriage has undergone a remarkable decline in the UK. The marriage rate has fallen two thirds in 50 years; and in 2021, for the first time, more than half of babies were born to unmarried parents. We also see a growing ‘marriage gap’, in which those who are wealthier and more highly educated are much more likely to be married.
This decline in marriage has not corresponded with much increase in singleness; instead, we have seen a huge rise in cohabitation: that is, couples living together without getting married. The cultural consensus seems to be that cohabitation is just as good as marriage, and that getting married is little more than a pointless piece of outdated bureaucracy.
Marriage and the Stable Society argues that, on the contrary, marriage remains highly relevant in today’s Britain. The data show clearly that couples who are married are much more likely to stay together long term, and that this is greatly beneficial to their children as well as to couples’ own happiness and wellbeing. Far from being regressive, marriage has the potential to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged people in society, who are currently less likely to marry.
The report also examines the reasons that people today, especially those who are less well off, are less likely to marry than they were in the past. As well as changes in cultural attitudes, bureaucracy and cost represent significant barriers, with even the most basic wedding costing over £500 in administrative costs, and most costing many times more than this. Marriage and the Stable Society shows how this burden could be reduced so that more people are able to access the benefits of being married.
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