'Tentative' official estimates suggested that up to 2 million men and 2 million women in Great Britain aged under 60 had a regular partner who was living in another household.
Source: John Haskey, 'Living arrangements in contemporary Britain: having a partner who usually lives elsewhere and Living Apart Together (LAT)', Population Trends 122, Winter 2005, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Article | ONS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Dec
Under the Civil Partnership Act 2004, gay and lesbian couples became entitled from 5 December 2005 to register their intention to enter into a civil partnership, which offered almost the same legal rights as those enjoyed by married couples.
Source: Civil Partnership Act 2004, Department for Constitutional Affairs, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Dec
A think-tank report said that 97 per cent of those aged 25-34 believed that it was important to live alone before settling down. This belief was felt particularly strongly by young, middle-class women.
Source: Miranda Lewis, Unilever Family Report 2005 Home Alone?, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: Report (pdf) | IPPR press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Oct
The proportion of adult males who had not married was projected to rise to 46 per cent by 2031(from 35 per cent in 2003); and among female adults, to 39 per cent (from 28 per cent). The number of cohabiting couples, estimated to be 2.0 million in 2003, was projected to almost double to 3.8 million by 2031.
Source: '2003-based marital status and cohabitation projections for England and Wales', Population Trends 121, Autumn 2005, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Article (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Sep
An article said that poor mental health during a co-habiting union increased the chances of that union dissolving instead of turning into marriage; and poorer mental health immediately after a transition out of a co-habiting union was associated with reduced chances of repartnering.
Source: John Ermisch and David Pevalin, Cohabiting unions, repartnering and mental health , Psychological Medicine, Volume 34, Issue 8
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Jun
A new book examined public attitudes to co-habitation and marriage, explored why people co-habited rather than married, and evaluated different options for legal reform.
Source: Anne Barlow, Simon Duncan, Grace James and Alison Park, Cohabitation, Marriage and the Law: Social change and legal reform in the 21st century, Hart Publishing (01865 245533)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Jun
An article examined the age difference at marriage in England and Wales, including trends in the age gap through the twentieth century, and presented detailed data on differentials by marital status and on age difference distributions.
Source: M?ire N? Bhrolch?in, 'The age difference at marriage in England and Wales: a century of patterns and trends', Population Trends 120, Summer 2005, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Article (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
According to the 2001 Census data, 2 per cent of marriages were between people from different ethnic backgrounds (219,000). Of these inter-ethnic marriages, most (198,000) included a white person.
Source: Inter-ethnic Marriage, Office for National Statistics (web publication only)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Mar
The Government Actuary published 2003-based population projections by marital status. The proportion of the adult male population of England and Wales who were married was projected to fall from 53 per cent in 2003 to 42 per cent in 2031; and for females from 50 per cent to 40 per cent.
Source: Marital Status Projections for England & Wales: 2003-based projections, Government Actuary's Department (020 7211 2600)
Links: Report | GAD press release (pdf)
Date: 2005-Mar
There were 267,700 marriages in England and Wales in 2003, according to provisional figures. This was an increase of 4.7 per cent from 255,596 in 2002, and the second successive annual increase.
Source: Press release 4 February 2005, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb