title: Declining first-marriage rates in England and Wales:  a change in timing or a rejection of marriage?
abstract: Two different methods devised by Ryder and by Le Bras and Roussel are used "to assess how far the changes in first-marriage rates in England and Wales arise from a shift to marrying at later ages or from a decline in the popularity of formal marriage.  The two methods yield consistent results, and indicate that the majority of young people...will continue to marry but that during the 1970s many were postponing marriage.  The pattern of cohabitation and prevailing attitudes to marriage are compatible with such a finding.  Recent marriage patterns in England and Wales are found to differ from those in France and Sweden."  (summary in FRE)
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eldridge
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kiernan
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D001519:Behavior; D019049:Developed Countries; D004739:England; D005060:Europe; D005602:France; D008393:Marriage; D011584:Psychology; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; D013548:Sweden; D006113:United Kingdom; D014852:Wales
keywords: Attitude; Behavior; Comparative Studies; Consensual Union; Developed Countries; England; Europe; France; Marriage; Marriage Age; Marriage Patterns; Marriage Postponement; Northern Europe; Nuptiality; Psychological Factors; Scandinavia; Sweden; United Kingdom; Wales; Western Europe