Marriage falls to 110-year low

Guardian UK

The institution of marriage took another knock yesterday when government statisticians reported that the number of weddings in 2006 were the lowest for 110 years. Marriages made a significant comeback between 2002 and 2004, but fell by 9% in 2005 in England and Wales, when the long-term trend towards cohabitation out of wedlock resumed.rnrnProvisional figures released yesterday for 2006 showed there were 236,980 marriages, a further 4% decline, the Office for National Statistics said. The Conservatives blamed the decline on the government's social and fiscal policies. The shadow home secretary, David Davis, said: "This is a sad indictment of policies which have penalised families and fuelled family breakdown. Stable families are the best formula for bringing up children and preventing delinquency, antisocial behaviour and crime, so a failed family policy is itself a major cause of crime."