Are Millennials Refusing to Get Married?

Over many decades, the allure of marriage has evolved from a share of labour, financial arrangement and the ultimate fairy-tale to show commitment. However, this trend appears to be shifting with more and more millennials either putting off marriage or not getting married at all. There are many reasons for this, perhaps due to the costs of a wedding for those who are opting instead to try to get on the property ladder or perhaps this is a total shift in culture and tradition for the upcoming generation.

The most recent information from the Office of National Statistics tells us that the age of couples opting to marry continues to increase with the average age of women entering into marriage being between 35-37 years of age and for men between 37-40 years of age.

However, with statistics telling us that 42% of marriages in England and Wales end in divorce, is cohabiting the way forward and are millennials right to put off this tradition of marriage?

Studies tell us that marriage can offer a number of positives including tax benefits, improved economic security and health benefits (apparently the latter is especially relevant for men!). Financial security can also be offered in marriage and should the parties later divorce the Court will have to consider a number of factors to ensure that both parties are provided for, together with any dependent children, in an arrangement which is fair and reasonable to all. However, the same factors do not apply to cohabiting couples which can place couples who have been cohabiting for a long period of time in financial difficulty if their relationship breaks down (especially where one partner has never worked and has cared for the children and all assets are in their partner’s sole name).

The government do appear to be taking into consideration the change in culture and an update is also awaited in relation to offering heterosexual couples the opportunity to enter into a Civil Partnership rather than marriage which offers a compromise to those who wish to have the security of marriage without engaging in the tradition of a wedding ceremony.

But what if you do not wish to enter into any kind of ceremony? Is there any level of protection available? You could enter into a cohabitation agreement. Such agreement can deal with matters such as how property will be dealt with, how bills will be paid, how debts will be addressed during your cohabitation. Most couples will have this discussion in any event when they move in together. However, this type of agreement can create a legally binding contract setting out how you will share, or not share, with your partner in the event of a separation and provides both parties with security they would not otherwise have.

So do Millennials have it right? Are there more modern ways to show your commitment to another person? Are they learning from the mistakes of previous generations or suffering as a result of the divorce rates of their parents? It may be that time will only tell as to whether the balance has swung too far in the other direction from previous historic traditions.

The law surrounding cohabitation and separation when you are not married can be difficult and complex to understand. Therefore, our team of specialist family solicitors are on hand to assist you. We offer 30 minutes free initial advice appointments and also offer payment plans.

Please do not hesitate to contact our family solicitors Gillian Lavelle or Kim Busby if you wish to discuss any of the above further.