There is a report in the Times today, suggesting that young people can’t afford marriage – Marriage too expensive
But, on the face of it, it is absurd. When people were really poor 100 years ago, marriage rates were much higher. Despite what people may think, living standards have been gradually rising for the past 60 years. (at an average rate of 2.5% per annum)
So why, when people are richer than ever before, do people now say marriage is too expensive?
Weddings have become more expensive because people have higher expectations about what to expect at a wedding. In the past, a wedding would be a simple affair, but now people want more.
People would rather save money for a deposit to get on the property ladder.
The cultural attachment to marriage is less. There is greater acceptance of people living together (in a former age it used to be called ‘living in sin’) Therefore, people find it easier to use excuses such as ‘I can’t afford it) As Anastasia de Waal, author of the report said:
“In the past, people had to marry – but today, people want to (if convenient). The last Census and the Millennium Cohort Study reveal that marriage is out of reach for many.”