Irish Wedding News
24/08/2015
A new study has revealed a sharp decline in the number of those in middle classes tying the knot.
The research has been conducted by the Marriage Foundation.
From its Family Resources Survey and the General Household Survey, it was discovered that, prior to the 1990s, the trend away from marriage was largely confined to low income groups, but this is now expanding to include families on middle incomes.
In 1994, 84% of middle earning families with young children were still marrying, but in 2012, only 59% were married – a fall of 25%.
In addition, among mothers with children under five, the proportion who married has fallen faster than any other income group.
Harry Benson, Research Director for Marriage Foundation, explained: "Our research shows a concerning spread in the collapse of marriage among the lowest earners to middle earners over the past fifteen years.
"While our previous report, published yesterday, showed that marriage faces extinction among low earners, today's study shows that the middle classes are fast on course to follow them. When a social-economic group turns away from marriage, we see a corresponding hike in the rates of family breakdown."
He continued: "It's very easy to understand why. Staying in a relationship over the course of a child's life can be extremely testing at times and takes a big commitment on both sides from the outset.
"While there are cohabiting couples who discuss their future, make the commitment and succeed in staying together, they are unfortunately rare. Cohabiting couples make up only 19% of parents but half of all family breakdown."
Sir Paul Coleridge, Chairman and founder of Marriage Foundation added: "It is not only sad but also very concerning that not one but two of the largest sections of society are increasingly turning away from marriage.
"And it is the children who are the main casualties. The single most important factor in a child's development is the stable relationship of the parents and the fact is that long term stability is almost entirely confined to married couples.
"Only a tiny proportion of parents who do not marry make it, as a couple, to the child's fifteenth birthday. The simple fact is that if you marry today you will probably still be married to the same person on the day you die. If you merely cohabit, by the time your child is 15, you almost certainly will not be living as a couple with them."
The full report can be accessed via the Marriage Foundation website here.
(JP)
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Fewer 'Middle Class' Couples Getting Married
A new study has revealed a sharp decline in the number of those in middle classes tying the knot.
The research has been conducted by the Marriage Foundation.
From its Family Resources Survey and the General Household Survey, it was discovered that, prior to the 1990s, the trend away from marriage was largely confined to low income groups, but this is now expanding to include families on middle incomes.
In 1994, 84% of middle earning families with young children were still marrying, but in 2012, only 59% were married – a fall of 25%.
In addition, among mothers with children under five, the proportion who married has fallen faster than any other income group.
Harry Benson, Research Director for Marriage Foundation, explained: "Our research shows a concerning spread in the collapse of marriage among the lowest earners to middle earners over the past fifteen years.
"While our previous report, published yesterday, showed that marriage faces extinction among low earners, today's study shows that the middle classes are fast on course to follow them. When a social-economic group turns away from marriage, we see a corresponding hike in the rates of family breakdown."
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He continued: "It's very easy to understand why. Staying in a relationship over the course of a child's life can be extremely testing at times and takes a big commitment on both sides from the outset.
"While there are cohabiting couples who discuss their future, make the commitment and succeed in staying together, they are unfortunately rare. Cohabiting couples make up only 19% of parents but half of all family breakdown."
Sir Paul Coleridge, Chairman and founder of Marriage Foundation added: "It is not only sad but also very concerning that not one but two of the largest sections of society are increasingly turning away from marriage.
"And it is the children who are the main casualties. The single most important factor in a child's development is the stable relationship of the parents and the fact is that long term stability is almost entirely confined to married couples.
"Only a tiny proportion of parents who do not marry make it, as a couple, to the child's fifteenth birthday. The simple fact is that if you marry today you will probably still be married to the same person on the day you die. If you merely cohabit, by the time your child is 15, you almost certainly will not be living as a couple with them."
The full report can be accessed via the Marriage Foundation website here.
(JP)
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