wedding Archives - Marriage Foundation

The 100,000 missing lockdown weddings

The 9% decrease in 2023 opposite-sex weddings, reported today by the Office for National Statistics, conceals the long tail of lockdown. At least 100,000 couples whose weddings were cancelled during

Half a year’s marriages are still missing

Lockdown’s missing marriages The latest figures for marriages in England & Wales in 2021 and 2022 were released today by the Office for National Statistics. The figures show a significant

Hooray for MacWeddings

“Allowing weddings in a field, in a pub, in a MacDonalds, all for the first time, will do a great deal to remove this artificial and unnecessary barrier to reliable

Well done, Chancellor!

On page 80 of today’s budget red book, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced his intention to relax the rules about where couples can get married, specifically aimed at ‘reducing unnecessary red tape

Family breakdown costs £50bn a year

Family breakdown costs the UK an estimated £50 billion every year — most of which is spent supporting families who move from one to two households when relationships end. Beyond the financial cost, the social and emotional toll on children can be lifelong.

UK Among highest family breakdown in Europe

The UK continues to experience some of the highest levels of family breakdown in Europe. While divorce rates have declined, this improvement has not been matched among cohabiting couples, who remain significantly more likely to separate.

Lower Divorce Rates – Higher Lone Parents

Divorce rates have fallen dramatically over the past three decades. Yet over the same period, the number of lone-parent families has doubled — because couples who live together without marrying or forming a civil partnership are three times more likely to separate than those who do.

Formal commitment is strongly associated with family stability

Stability remains the norm when parents are married or in a civil partnership — around

75% stay together as their children grow up, compared with 30% of cohabiting parents. The act of formal commitment changes how couples think and behave about their relationship, creating a foundation that is more likely to endure.

The parents’ relationship plays a vital role in children’s development

The single most important factor in a child’s healthy development is the stability of their parents’ relationship. Our research consistently shows that family breakdown is the strongest predictor of teenage mental health problems — and that formal commitment through marriage or civil partnership offers the best protection against this instability.

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The 100,000 missing lockdown weddings

Half a year’s marriages are still missing

Hooray for MacWeddings

Well done, Chancellor!

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