Changes in Marriage (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Revision Note

Changing patterns of marriage

• The patterns of marriage and cohabitation have changed dramatically over time

• In the 1950s, marriage was the norm for most adults, and most couples married for the first time and stayed together until one partner died

• However, official statistics (a form of secondary data) now show that this is no longer the case, with far more people choosing to cohabit, divorce or remain single

The declining number of marriages

• The number of marriages in England and Wales has fallen, suggesting it is no longer as important as it once was

  • In 1972, there were 426,241 marriages

  • In 2019, there were 219,850 marriages

  • In 2023, there were 224,402 marriages

People are getting married later

• In contrast to the 1970s, a growing number of people are delaying marriage until later in life, which is probably the result of:

  • the changing role of women due to increased opportunities in the workplace to establish a career

    • This means that women have less need for support from men due to their own financial independence

  • increased educational opportunities, as young people are spending a longer time in full-time education

  • changing social attitudes, as there is less stigma attached to living together without being married than in previous years

• In 2023, the median age at marriage for opposite-sex couples was 34.8 for men and 33.0 for women (England and Wales)

Civil partnerships and same-sex marriage

• In the UK, legal recognition of same-sex relationships dates back to the Civil Partnership Act 2004. Since then:

  • 16,106 civil partnerships were formed in the UK in 2006

  • 6,276 civil partnerships were formed in the UK in 2013

  • 7,547 civil partnerships were formed in England and Wales in 2023, most of them (6,179) between opposite-sex couples

• Civil partnerships fell sharply after same-sex marriage was introduced in 2014 (a 70% fall from 2013 to 2014), then rose again once opposite-sex couples could form them (from 31 December 2019)

• In 2015, over 9,000 same-sex couples converted their civil partnership to marriage, suggesting that marriage is still considered to be important

Increase in births outside of marriage

• Births outside marriage began to rise in the 1970s and became much more common from the 1980s

• The following statistics show that births occurring outside of marriage are no longer stigmatised and are now socially acceptable in the UK:

  • In 1988, 25.2% of births happened outside marriage

    • This increased in 2006 to 43.7%

  • In 2025, 46.8% of births in England and Wales were outside marriage or civil partnership, down from 51.4% in 2022

• A high proportion of unmarried mothers were cohabiting with their child's father at the time of the child's birth

The increase in cohabitation

• In 2025, there were 3.5 million cohabiting couple families in the UK, 17.6% of all families

• Some people cohabit without expecting the relationship to last long-term

• Some consider cohabitation an alternative to marriage, as it is a cheaper option, and weddings can be very expensive

• Some couples see cohabitation as a gateway to marriage, as it allows them to save up for their wedding

• The increase in cohabitation is linked to secularisation and shifting perceptions of premarital sex, which is no longer regarded as 'sinful'

• It is also a result of changing social attitudes, as cohabitation is seen as more socially acceptable within some social groups

Singlehood

• One-person households in the UK have increased significantly

• More young people are living alone because they:

  • remain single and childless

  • choose to never marry

  • choose to live alone before marrying or cohabiting

  • choose to live apart from their partner

  • are international migrants who have moved to Britain

• The influence of feminism and the changing position of women in society has led to more financially independent women living alone who are career-focused

• The high number of marriages ending in divorce may make people wary of marriage, particularly those whose parents have divorced