A study used information from the Millennium Cohort Study to examine the characteristics of families where children were born within a marriage, within a cohabiting union, or outside of a co-residential partnership. For this latter group, for the first time in a national data set, an assessment was made of the strength of the parent s relationship at the time of the birth. The authors showed that the context of childbearing varied with respect to geography, ethnicity, age, parity and educational status of the mother, and that the socio-economic wellbeing of families varied according to the partnership status of their parents. (The Millennium Cohort Study is a large-scale survey of babies born in the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom. The first sweep was carried out during 2001 02 and contains information on 18,819 babies in 18,553 families, collected from the parents when the babies were 9 11 months old.)
Source: Kathleen Kiernan and Kate Smith, 'Unmarried parenthood: new insights from the Millennium Cohort Study', Population Trends 114, Winter 2003, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Article (pdf)
Date: 2003-Dec
An article analysed age differences between spouses by year, age at marriage and previous marital status (based on marriage registration statistics for 1963 and 1998, for England and Wales). The median age gap hardly changed between 1963 and 1998: but this concealed a considerable increase in the proportion of marriages where the man was younger than the woman or to a lesser extent where the man was six or more years older.
Source: Ruth Hancock, Rachel Stuchbury and Cecilia Tomassini, 'Changes in the distribution of marital age differences in England and Wales, 1963 to 1998', Population Trends 114, Winter 2003, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Article (pdf)
Date: 2003-Dec
A think-tank report said that families based on marriage were, on average, healthier, wealthier, and more stable than other family forms. Marriage was an important social good, associated with an 'impressively broad array of positive outcomes' for children and adults alike.
Source: Rebecca O'Neill (ed.), Does Marriage Matter?, Civitas (020 7401 5470)
Links: Civitas press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Nov
There were 249,227 marriages in England and Wales in 2001, 7 per cent fewer than in 2000. This was the lowest annual number of marriages since 1897, and followed a rise of 1.7 per cent between 1999 and 2000. The number of divorces increased to 143,818 - 1.9 per cent higher than in 2000 and the first rise since 1996. The divorce rate also increased to 13.0 people divorcing per 1,000 married population in 2001, from 12.9 in 2000.
Source: Marriage, Divorce and Adoption Statistics: Review of the Registrar General on marriages, divorces and adoptions in England and Wales, 2001, Series FM2 29, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
The government began consultation on proposals for a new legal status for same-sex couples. Under a new civil partnership scheme, registered partners in England and Wales would gain legal recognition for their relationship and a comprehensive range of rights and responsibilities. Family lawyers said that the same rights should be extended to co-habiting heterosexual couples.
Source: Civil Partnership: Framework for the legal recognition of same-sex couples, Women and Equality Unit/Department of Trade and Industry (0845 001 0029) | Press release 30.6.03, Solicitors Family Law Association (01689 850227)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | DTI press release | SFLA press release | Stonewall press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jun
Results from the 2001 Census for England and Wales showed that nearly half of all children were not being brought up in a 'traditional' family (with married parents in the same home). Around 2.7 million children lived in lone parent families, 725,000 lived with a step-parent, and 1.3 million lived with unmarried cohabiting parents.
Source: Census 2001: National Report for England & Wales, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Link to report and tables | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-May
There were 249,227 marriages in England and Wales in 2001, a fall of 7 per cent from 267,961 in 2000. This was the lowest annual number of marriages since 1897 and continued the long-term downward trend that began in 1973 (notwithstanding a rise of 1.7 per cent in 2000).
Source: Press release 20.3.03, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Mar