Researchers examined how much weight material factors - the property, wealth, income or educational achievements of a prospective partner - carry in decisions to marry or form a partnership. They found that partnership decisions are partly based on perceptions of the likely future success of a partner, both in the labour market and more generally.
Source: Malcolm Brynin and Marco Francesconi, The Material Returns to Partnership: The effects of educational matching on labour market outcomes and gender equality, Working Paper 2002-23, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex (01206 873087)
Links: Paper (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2002-Dec
The Church of England confirmed its decision to allow the remarriage in church of divorced people.
Source: General Synod: November 2002 Group of Sessions, Church of England (020 7898 1000)
Links: Report (Word file) | Guardian report
Date: 2002-Nov
A literature review examined the relationships between education/learning and family formation. Among women, the higher the educational level achieved, the less likely the woman is to marry: whereas among men, the less educated the man is the less likely he is to marry or cohabit.
Source: Louisa Blackwell and John Bynner, Learning, Family Formation and Dissolution, Report 4, Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning/Institute of Education (020 7612 6291)
Links: Report (pdf) | DfES Research Brief (pdf)
Date: 2002-Nov
A study found that forced marriages are increasing in British Asian communities: but young people are far more critical of the practice than their elders.
Source: Yunas Samad and John Eade, Community Perceptions of
Forced Marriage, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (020 7008 1500)
Links: Report (pdf) | FCO press release
Date: 2002-Nov
A research paper examined the length of cohabiting unions, and the time it takes people who have dissolved a marriage or cohabiting union to find a new partner.
Source: John Ermisch, Trying Again: Repartnering after Dissolution of a Union, Working Paper 2002-19, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex (01206 873087)
Links: Working Paper (pdf) | Abstract
Date: 2002-Oct
An article gave estimates of the number of potential marriage partners available for unmarried men and women, by age, in Great Britain in 1991 and how this varied across local districts.
Source: M ire Ni Bhrolch in, Tom Wilson and Wendy Sigle-Rushton, 'Local marriage markets in Great Britain: how diverse?', Population Trends 109, Autumn 2002, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Article (pdf)
Date: 2002-Sep
The Law Commission published a discussion paper on the rights of people who share homes: it said it had found it impossible to devise a legally enforceable scheme allowing an unmarried partner to acquire an automatic share in a property.
Source: Sharing Homes: A Discussion Paper, Law Commission (020 7453 1220)
Links: Discussion paper (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2002-Jul
A total of 267,961 marriages took place in England and Wales in 2000, 1.7 per cent more than in 1999.
Source: Marriage, Divorce and Adoption Statistics, 2000, Series FM2 28, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf)
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/1, Digest 121, paragraph 5.2
Date: 2002-Jul
The Law Society called for a comprehensive statement of rights for cohabitees, including legal protection for cohabitees (both same sex and opposite sex) after they had lived together for two years or more or had a child together.
Source: Press release 19 July 2002, Law Society (01235 465 656)
Links: Law Society press release
Date: 2002-Jul
A court granted a gay father joint parental rights over his child, born by artificial insemination to a lesbian woman.
Source: The Times, 7.5.02
Date: 2002-May
A study examined how parents view cohabitation, and the role of the father both during the relationship and after it has ended.
Source: C. Lewis, et al., Cohabitation, Separation and Fatherhood, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 431213)
Links: JRF Findings 552 (pdf)
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 30/4, Digest 120 (paragraph 12.2)
Date: 2002-May
The police will be encouraged to prosecute parents who force their daughters to marry against their wishes.
Source: Dealing with Cases of Forced Marriage, Association of Chief Police Officers (020 7227 3434), Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Home Office
Links: Guidelines (pdf)
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/3, Digest 123 (paragraph 8.1)
Date: 2002-May