Drop in the Number of Straight Couples Getting Married
Fewer opposite-sex couples are getting married, that’s according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The latest figures available for 2015 show that there were 21.7 marriages per thousand unmarried men and 19.8 per thousand unmarried women: the lowest on record. These numbers are consistent with previous years as fewer people have been getting married since the 1970s.
2015 is the first year with a complete set of data on same-sex marriages. There were 6,493 in 2015 accounting for 2.6% of all marriages that year with 9,156 couples opting to convert civil partnerships.
Same-Sex Couples
2015 is the first year with a complete set of data on same-sex marriages. There were 6,493 in 2015 accounting for 2.6% of all marriages that year with 9,156 couples opting to convert civil partnerships.
Religious ceremonies were not as popular in 2015 with an 8% decrease from 2014.
Unsurprisingly, there were only 44 religious same-sex ceremonies in 2015, and this number is unlikely to rise so long as mainstream religious denominations continue to exclude gay couples. Almost all of those 44 ceremonies would have been conducted by more inclusive smaller religious groups such as The Unitarian Church and The Quakers.
Unsurprisingly, there were only 44 religious same-sex ceremonies in 2015, and this number is unlikely to rise so long as mainstream religious denominations continue to exclude gay couples. Almost all of those 44 ceremonies would have been conducted by more inclusive smaller religious groups such as The Unitarian Church and The Quakers.
So why aren’t people getting married?
- The average cost of a UK wedding is now £27,000 which is, by most people's standards, a lot of money to spend on a single day.
- Improving financial and working rights for women mean that many females are staying single, marrying later in life or choosing to cohabit. There's no longer the stigma of being a single woman nor is it an impediment in old age.
- Birth control has played a huge role in giving women the freedom to date, to be sexually active and to have relationships that don't necessarily risk pregnancy. And even with a child, women are no longer pressured into forming long-term relationships with men.
- Relationships are now more diverse than ever before and traditional marriage often doesn't reflect the personality or beliefs of those who see the institution as being out-of-step or old-fashioned. Marriage remains very heteronormative and that isn't just alienating to same-sex couples but to many couples born and raised in modern society.
It’ll be interesting to see how 2016's figures stack up, and we’ll be watching the statistics for same-sex marriage with keen interest. What are your thoughts? Do you think we'll ever see a rise in the number of weddings or are people now less interesting in saying 'I do'? And don't forget to visit the Pink Wedding Day's website to find your dream LGBT-friendly wedding venue and service provider.
