The number of marriages in the UK dipped to 286,100 in 2001, but there have been successive annual increases ever since to 311,180 in 2004. 52% of these marriages were first marriages for both partners and 18% were remarriages for both partners. The mean age at first marriage in 2004 was 29 years for women and 31 years for men, which continues the trend of marrying later in life. In 1991 the average ages were 25.5 years for women and 27.5 for men.
There has been a steady shift away from religious marriage ceremonies to civil over the past 35 years. In 2004, 68% of marriages were civil marriage ceremonies, compared to 41% in 1971. The benefits of marriage for children, adults and society is now well documented. Marriage is associated with better health and well-being, increased wealth and greater commitment for adults, as well as being one of the most effective safeguards for women and children from violence, poverty and neglect. "A new branch of research is finding that marriage has powerful and beneficial effects on human beings.its findings deserve to be read by everyone in Western Society." .
Cohabitation .
There has been a great rise in the popularity of living together before, or instead of, getting married. In 2004 in the UK, a quarter of non-married people were cohabitation: "Cohabitation is the most common form of first partnership for young adults today." Childbearing within cohabiting unions has become vastly more common, with 42% of children being born into such unions in 2004, compared with 9% in 1976. Out of those children born outside of marriage, 64% are born to cohabiting parents, 29% to parents living separately and 7% of births outside marriage are registered solely by the mother.
However, "Cohabitation may be the start of a long-term or life-long partnership but the cohabitation period itself is rarely long-term." Only about 5% of cohabitations last 10 years or more.