Marriage being 'killed off' by Government

Briefing.

From CFNews: While the number of single, divorced or widowed people in Britain rose in 2006, the number marrying fell, producing the lowest marriage rates since records began in 1862. Part of the picture is a rise in the average age at which people marry-- up by almost five years for men since 1991, to 36.4 years, and just over 4.5 years for women, to 33.5. The average age at first marriage is now 31.8 years for men and 29.7 years for women, according to the Office for National Statistics. Marriage advocates lay much of the blame at the government's door.

The Civitas think-tank says politicians won't talk about marriage in case they offend single people. The Centre for Policy Studies' Jill Kirby says that by not supporting marriage financially and removing the terms 'marriage' and 'spouse' from many official documents, the government is 'effectively overseeing the death of marriage by killing it off'. Recent research by the Christian charity CARE found that three out of four families would be better off living apart than sharing a home under the current benefits system. For a family with one child and the wife at home, the premium would be almost £100 a week. Campaigners also point to causes such as the 'me' society, big divorce settlements in favour of women, and the fact that many young people have witnessed parental divorce. The cost of a home also makes many people put property acquisition ahead of a wedding ceremony.