UÊ There were 25.0 million households in Great Britain in
Q2 2008, a 4 per cent increase on Q2 2001 when there
were 23.9 million. (Table 2.1)
Chapter 2
Households and
families
UÊ In Q2 2008 around 10 million dependent children in the
UK lived with two parents, the most common family
arrangement. Of these the majority (8.3 million) lived
with married parents. (Table 2.4)
UÊ In Q2 2008, 1.8 million men in the UK aged 20 to 34 lived
with their parents, compared with 1.1 million women in
the same age group. (Table 2.8)
UÊ There were around 237,000 marriages in England and
Wales in 2006, the lowest number recorded since 1895.
(Figure 2.10)
UÊ The majority of people who married in the UK in 2006
did so for the first time: around 71 per cent of men and
72 per cent of women. (Table 2.11)
UÊ In 2007 the average age for women giving birth in
England and Wales was 29.3 years, compared with
28.3 years in 1997 and 26.6 years in 1971. (Figure 2.18)
Download data by
clicking the online pdf
www.statistics.gov.uk/
socialtrends39
Chapter 2: Households and families
People live in different types of households and families during
their lifetime. Most begin life in the parental home, and later
they may set up home alone, or with other non-related adults,
or by starting a family. Families are started when people form
2
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
Table 2.1
Households:1 by size
Great Britain
partnerships or marry, and when they have children.
Percentages
1971
1981
1991
20012
20082
Understanding the distribution of the population by household
and family type is important for many different organisations
One person
18
22
27
29
29
in the public and private sectors, including policy makers
Two people
32
32
34
35
35
dealing with issues such as health, housing and benefits.
Three people
19
17
16
16
16
Issues such as unemployment and poverty can often be
Four people
17
18
16
14
13
better understood by looking at the characteristics of
Five people
8
7
5
5
5
households and families, rather than simply defining them as
Six or more people
6
4
2
2
2
18.6
20.2
22.4
23.9
25.0
2.9
2.7
2.5
2.4
2.4
the number of people out of work or earning less than a
certain income threshold. Information about households and
families also shows how society is changing. Cohabiting
couples, lone parent families and people living alone have all
All households
(=100%) (millions)
Average household size
(number of people)
increased, while the proportion of households with three or
between generations in attitudes to marriage, divorce and
1 See Appendix, Part 2: Households, Families, and Multi-sourced tables.
2 Data are at Q2 (April–June) each year and are not seasonally adjusted.
See Appendix, Part 4: Labour Force Survey.
childbearing.
Source: Census, Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics
more people has decreased, reflecting changes over time and
Household composition
A household may consist of a single person living alone or a
Reference persons
group of people who live and eat together, whether related or
Though the majority of households contain one family, some
not. The definition of a family is a married or cohabiting couple
households contain multiple families, while others do not
with or without children, or a lone parent with one or more
contain a family at all (for example, where the household
children. A household can consist of more than one family, or a
consists of one person or of non-related adults). This chapter
family and other non-related adults. People who live in non-private
mainly refers to data based on the household reference
residences are not covered in this chapter. For further
person although some data are based on the family reference
information on the definitions of households and families,
see Appendix, Part 2: Households, and Families, and the article,
person. The UK Census 2001 defined household reference
person and family reference person as follows:
Households, families and children, in the Overview section.
Household reference person (HRP)
In Q2 (April to June) 2008 there were 25.0 million households
A person living alone is the HRP. If the household contains
in Great Britain (Table 2.1), a 2 per cent increase on 2007
one family the HRP is the same as the family reference person
(24.4 million). The trend towards more one person households
(FRP, see below). If there is more than one family in the
and lone parent families means that the number of households
has grown faster than the population. Between 1971 and
Q2 2008 the British household population grew by around
10 per cent. Over the same period the number of households
increased by around 34 per cent. This is reflected in the fall in
household, the HRP is chosen from the FRPs using the same
criteria as for choosing the FRP. If there is no family, the HRP
is chosen from the individuals living in the household using
the same criteria. See also Appendix, Part 7: Household
reference person.
average household size from 2.9 people per household in 1971
Family reference person (FRP)
to 2.4 people per household in 2001, since when it has
In a couple family the FRP is chosen from the two people in
remained stable.
the couple on the basis of their economic activity in priority
In Q2 2008 the proportion of households in Great Britain
comprising couple families with children had fallen by 16
percentage points since 1971, to 27 per cent, and was lower
than the proportion of couple families with no children in
Q2 2008 (29 per cent) (Table 2.2). There was also a fall in the
14
order of full-time job, part-time job, unemployed, retired,
other. If both have the same economic activity, the FRP is
defined as the elder of the two, or if they are the same age,
the first member of the couple listed on the census form. In a
lone parent family the FRP is the lone parent.
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
Chapter 2: Households and families
Table 2.2
There were 59.2 million people resident in Great Britain in
2007 (see Chapter 1: Population, Table 1.1) and, of these,
Households:1 by type of household and family
Great Britain
58.4 million lived in private households. The remaining
Percentages
1971
1981
1991
20012
20082
0.8 million, around 1 per cent of the population, lived in one of
2
a range of communal establishments, for example, prison
inmates, long-term residents in hospitals and care homes, and
One person households
Under state pension age3
Over state pension age3
live-in staff in hotels. See Appendix, Part 4: Labour Force
6
8
11
14
15
12
14
16
15
15
Survey.
In Q2 2008 the number of people living in one family
One family households
households in Great Britain (47.8 million) represented around
Couple4
81 per cent of the population living in private households,
No children
27
26
28
29
29
1–2 dependent children5,6
26
25
20
19
18
9
6
5
4
3
in Q2 2008 were couples without children, compared with
8
8
8
6
6
around one-fifth (19 per cent) in 1971. In 1971 people living in
3 or more dependent
children5,6
Non-dependent children only
compared with 85 per cent (45.4 million people) in 1971
(Table 2.3). One-quarter (25 per cent) of people in households
couple families with dependent children accounted for more
Lone parent4
than one-half (52 per cent) of all people living in private
Dependent children5,6
3
5
6
7
7
Non-dependent children only
4
4
4
3
3
Two or more unrelated adults
4
5
3
3
3
between 1971 and Q2 2001, to 12 per cent, and remained the
Multi-family households
1
1
1
1
1
same in Q2 2008.
Q2 2008. The proportion of people living alone doubled
Between 1971 and Q2 2008 the proportion of lone parent
All households
(=100%) (millions)
households compared with around one-third (36 per cent) in
18.6
20.2
22.4
23.9
25.0
households increased almost threefold to 11 per cent.
1 See Appendix, Part 2: Households, Families, and Multi-sourced tables.
2 Data are at Q2 (April–June) each year and are not seasonally adjusted.
See Appendix, Part 4: Labour Force Survey.
3 State pension age is currently 65 for men and 60 for women.
4 These households may contain individuals who are not family
members. Couples include a small number of same-sex couples and
civil partners.
5 Children aged under 16 and those aged 16 to 18 who have never
married and are in full-time education. May also include some
non-dependent children.
6 These families may also contain non-dependent children.
Table 2.3
Source: Census, Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics
One person households
proportion of large family households. Between 1971 and
Q2 2008 the proportion of households consisting of a couple
family and three or more dependent children fell from
9 per cent to 3 per cent. Over the same period, the proportion
of one person households where the person was under state
pension age (65 for men and 60 for women) more than
People in households:1 by type of household
and family
Great Britain
Percentages
1981
6
8
11
12
12
19
20
23
25
25
52
47
41
38
36
10
10
11
9
9
4
6
10
11
11
9
9
4
5
6
53.4
53.9
54.1
56.7
58.8
One family households
Couple
No children
Dependent
children3
Non-dependent children only
Lone
parent4
doubled from 6 per cent to 15 per cent. The proportion of one
Other households5
person households where the person was over state pension
All people in private households
age increased by 3 percentage points from 1971 to Q2 2001
1991 20012 20082
1971
(=100%) (millions)
and has remained stable since.
households with non-dependent children fell slightly between
1 See Appendix, Part 2: Households, Families, and Multi-sourced tables.
2 Data are at Q2 (April–June) each year and are not seasonally adjusted.
See Appendix, Part 4: Labour Force Survey.
3 Children aged under 16 and those aged 16 to 18 who have never
married and are in full-time education. May also include some
non-dependent children.
4 Includes those with dependent children only, non-dependent children
only and those with both dependent and non-dependent children.
5 Includes same-sex couples and civil partners.
1971 and Q2 2001 to 3 per cent and has remained stable since.
Source: Census, Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics
Between Q2 2001 and Q2 2008 the proportion of lone parent
households with dependent children in Great Britain remained
stable, at 7 per cent, although this is more than double the
proportion in 1971. However, the proportion of lone parent
15
Chapter 2: Households and families
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
Table 2.4
Table 2.5
Dependent children:1 by family type2
Dependent children:1 by family type and
ethnic group,2 20083
United Kingdom
Millions
United Kingdom
2
1997
2001
2005
Percentages
2008
Married couple
9.57
9.00
8.57
8.32
Cohabiting couple
1.00
1.34
1.46
1.66
Female lone parent
2.51
2.66
2.75
2.81
Male lone parent
0.23
0.24
0.25
0.24
1 Children aged under 16 and those aged 16 to 18 who have never
married and are in full-time education. See Appendix, Part 2: Families.
2 Data are at Q2 (April–June) each year and are not seasonally adjusted.
See Appendix, Part 4: Labour Force Survey.
Married
couple4
Cohabiting
couple5
Lone
parent
White
63
14
23
Mixed
48
13
39
Asian or Asian British
87
1
13
Black or Black British
46
6
48
Chinese
79
*
21
Other ethnic group
72
4
24
Total
64
13
23
Source: Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics
Households headed by lone mothers were considerably more
common than those headed by lone fathers; around nine in ten
children living in lone parent families lived with their mothers in
the UK in Q2 2008 (Table 2.4).
In Q2 2008 there were more than 13 million dependent
children living with at least one parent in the UK. The majority
1 Children aged under 16 and those aged 16 to 18 who have never
married and are in full-time education.
2 See Appendix, Part 1: Classification of ethnic groups.
3 Data are at Q2 (April–June) and are not seasonally adjusted.
See Appendix, Part 4: Labour Force Survey.
4 Includes civil partnerships.
5 Includes same-sex couples.
Source: Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics
(77 per cent) of dependent children lived with two parents in
Q2 2008. The proportion of dependent children living with
Black British children lived in a lone parent family with
two parents fell during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, from
6 per cent living in a cohabiting couple family and 46 per cent
92 per cent in 1972, to 88 per cent in 1981 and 83 per cent in
in a married couple family.
1992. This proportion continued to fall during the 1990s so
that by Q2 2001, 78 per cent of dependent children lived with
two parents, a figure that has remained broadly stable since.
The traditional family structure of a married mother and father
with a child or children remains the most common family type.
More than 8 million (64 per cent) dependent children lived with
married parents in the UK in Q2 2008. However, between
Q2 1997 and Q2 2008 the proportion of children living with
cohabiting couples increased from 8 per cent to 13 per cent.
The proportion of children living with lone mothers also
increased, from 19 per cent in Q2 1997 to 22 per cent in
Q2 2008, while the proportion living with just their father
remained stable, at around 2 per cent.
The pattern of dependent children in households varies
considerably across ethnic groups in the UK (Table 2.5). In
Q2 2008 very few dependent children in the Chinese ethnic
group lived in families headed by cohabiting parents, compared
with 14 per cent of dependent children from a White
background and 13 per cent from a Mixed background. Asian
or Asian British children were more likely than children of other
ethnic groups to live in families headed by married parents
(87 per cent lived in married couple families). Apart from
According to General Household Survey figures, more than
four in ten (42 per cent) women of working age in Great Britain
had dependent children living with them in 2007 (Table 2.6).
This proportion varies according to marital status. More than
one-half of married working-age women (53 per cent) and
44 per cent of cohabiting working-age women had at least
one dependent child living with them, compared with almost
two-thirds (65 per cent) of separated working-age women,
37 per cent of divorced working-age women, and less than
one-fifth (18 per cent) of single working-age women. In 2007
single working-age women were the most likely to have no
children living with them (81 per cent) compared with around
one-third (31 per cent) of married working-age women.
The presence of a partner in the household has a considerable
impact on the mother’s employment status. According to the
Labour Force Survey, more than seven in ten (72 per cent)
married or cohabiting mothers with dependent children were
working in Q2 2008. The comparable figure for lone mothers
with dependent children was more than one-half (56 per cent).
For further information on mothers and work, see Chapter 4:
Labour Market, Table 4.6.
Chinese children, they were also least likely to live in cohabiting
More people are living alone than ever before and Table 2.2
couple families. Nearly one-half (48 per cent) of Black or
shows that in Q2 2008 one person households accounted for
16
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
Chapter 2: Households and families
Table 2.6
and live alone. However, for those aged 65 and over, and
Whether women1 have children in the household:
by marital status, 2007
Great Britain
Percentages
Dependent
children2
particularly among those aged 75 and over, women are much
more likely than men to live alone. In 1998, 29 per cent of men
and 59 per cent of women aged 75 and over lived alone,
compared with 35 per cent of men and 61 per cent of women in
2007. The higher proportion of women living alone in the oldest
Nondependent
children only
No
children
age group reflects the higher numbers of women than men in
the population at these ages (see Chapter 1: Population, Table
Married3
53
16
31
1.2). In part these differences reflect the lower life expectancy of
males compared with females.
Non-married
Cohabiting
44
4
52
In Q2 2008 around 2.8 million men and women between the
Single
Widowed
18
-
81
ages of 20 and 34 in the UK lived with one or both of their
15
35
51
parents (Table 2.8 overleaf). Men of this age group were
Divorced
37
23
41
much more likely than women to remain in the family home;
Separated
65
9
26
1.8 million (29 per cent) men and 1.1 million (18 per cent)
42
11
47
All working-age women
women aged 20 to 34 lived with their parents in Q2 2008
compared with 27 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women
1 Women aged 16 to 59.
2 These households may contain non-dependent children.
3 Living with spouse. Includes people in a legally recognised civil
partnership.
in these age groups in Q2 2001. More than one-half of men
aged 20 to 24 (52 per cent) lived with their parents in Q2 2008,
a similar proportion (55 per cent) as in Q2 2001. In both
Source: General Household Survey (Longitudinal), Office for National
Statistics
Q2 2001 and Q2 2008 around one-quarter (24 per cent) of
men aged 25 to 29 and one in ten men (10 per cent) aged 30
three in ten (30 per cent) households in Great Britain. In 2007 a
to 34 lived in the parental home. These figures were
larger proportion of men between the ages of 16 and 44 lived
considerably lower for women. In Q2 2001, 35 per cent of
alone than women in the same age group: 17 per cent of men
women aged 20 to 24 lived with their parents; in Q2 2008 this
compared with 10 per cent of women (Figure 2.7). The
had risen to 37 per cent. The proportion of women in their late
difference between men and women is partly because, following
20s living in the family home rose slightly from 11 per cent to
the breakdown of a relationship where children are involved,
12 per cent during this period and the proportion of women in
men are much more likely than women to leave the family home
their early 30s rose 1 percentage point to 4 per cent.
Figure 2.7
People living alone: by sex and age1
Great Britain
Percentages
Men
Women
75 and
over
65–74
45–64
25–44
1998
2007
1998
2007
16–24
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1 Data for 2007 are weighted to compensate for nonresponse and to match known population distributions. See Appendix, Part 2: General Household
Survey.
Source: General Household Survey (Longitudinal), Office for National Statistics
17
2
Chapter 2: Households and families
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
Table 2.8
Adults living with their parents:1 by age and sex2
United Kingdom
Thousands
2
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
949
996
969
1,054
1,079
1,103
1,085
1,086
Men
20–24
25–29
454
390
416
434
432
438
445
486
30–34
208
213
216
203
194
185
178
180
Women
20–24
624
638
641
675
685
733
747
745
25–29
220
193
184
201
211
210
232
245
30–34
75
68
84
89
66
64
63
70
1 Includes stepchildren. Does not include foster children or children-in-law.
2 Data are at Q2 (April–June) each year and are not seasonally adjusted. See Appendix, Part 4: Labour Force Survey.
Source: Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics
Leaving home is a way of establishing independence and is an
Education). The introduction of university fees in 1997 resulted
important step in the transition to adulthood. However, young
in some students continuing to live in the family home while
adults are tending to stay in the parental home longer than
studying, or moving away and then returning home afterwards
their parents did. A narrowing of the generational gap has led
for financial reasons.
to changing relationships between parents and children, which
can make it easier for adult children (non-dependent) to remain
in the parental home. Additionally, there has been a large
The majority of people aged 15 to 30 across the rest of the
European Union member states (EU-27) are strongly influenced
by financial issues when deciding to remain in the parental
increase in the numbers of students in higher education. In
home. In 2007 more than four in ten (44 per cent) EU-27 adults
2006/07 there were more than four times the number of
in this age group believed that the costs of moving out were
higher education students than in 1970/71 (see Chapter 3:
prohibitive while more than one-quarter (28 per cent) felt that
there was a lack of affordable housing (Figure 2.9). More than
Figure 2.9
one in six (16 per cent) agreed that young adults wanted the
Young adults’ reasons1 for living at parents’
home: EU comparison, 2007
comforts of home without the responsibilities. In the UK
Percentages
young adults couldn’t afford to move out and that there was a
around four in ten (38 per cent) young adults believed that
lack of affordable housing (44 per cent). Only 1 per cent of
Can't afford to move out
people aged 15 to 30 in the UK believed that they stayed at
home longer because they were marrying later than young
Not enough affordable
housing available
adults in the past, compared with 7 per cent of their
counterparts across the EU-27.
Want home comforts
without the responsibility
Partnerships
Marrying later
The Marriage Act 1836 and the Registration Act 1836 came
Have to support their
parents financially
into force in 1837 in England and Wales, providing the
EU-27
UK
statutory basis for regulating and recording marriages.
Other reasons2
Records show that 118,000 marriages were registered in 1838,
0
10
20
30
40
1 People aged 15 to 30 were asked the question, ‘What do you think is
the main reason that young adults live in their parents’ homes longer
than they used to?’
2 Includes those who answered ‘don’t know’ or did not answer.
Source: Eurobarometer
18
50
the first full year of civil registration. The annual number of
marriages generally rose until the 1940s, apart from peaks and
troughs around the two world wars (Figure 2.10). The number
of marriages fluctuated during the 1950s but rose annually
from 1959 to 1968 and peaked in 1972, at around 426,000.
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
Chapter 2: Households and families
Figure 2.10
Table 2.11
Marriages1,2
England & Wales
People marrying: by sex and previous marital
status
Thousands
United Kingdom
500
Thousands
1996
2000
2004
2005
2006
222
214
221
202
195
450
400
Men
350
Single1
300
Divorced
87
85
85
79
74
250
Widowed
9
7
7
7
6
200
Women
150
Single1
100
50
0
1862
1878
1894
1910
1926
1942
1958
1974
1990
2006
1 Includes first marriages and remarriages.
2 Data do not include marriages of UK residents taking place abroad but
include non-UK residents who marry in the UK.
222
216
224
206
199
Divorced
88
83
83
75
70
Widowed
8
7
7
6
6
1 Single men and single women are those who had not been married
before.
Source: Office for National Statistics; General Register Office for
Scotland; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Source: Office for National Statistics; General Register Office for Scotland;
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
First marriages (first for both partners) in England and Wales
The pattern of forming partnerships in the UK has changed
since then, with a falling trend in the number of people
marrying and an increase in the number of people
cohabitating. In 2006 there were around 237,000 marriages in
England and Wales, the lowest number recorded since 1895
(228,200 marriages).
There were around 29,900 marriages in Scotland in 2007, a
similar figure to 2006, but a fall of 3 per cent compared with
2005. In Northern Ireland there were around 8,700 marriages
in 2007, an increase of 5 per cent on 2006.
peaked in 1940, at 91 per cent of all marriages. This proportion
has since fallen, with first marriages accounting for 58 per cent
of all marriages in 1996 and 61 per cent in 2006. Following the
Divorce Reform Act 1969, remarriages (for one or both parties)
in England and Wales rose by about one-third between 1971 and
1972 to around 120,000 and then levelled off. In 2006 around
four in ten marriages were remarriages for one or both parties.
People in the UK are generally getting married later in life than
a decade ago. In 1996 more than one-half (52 per cent) of
people who got married in the UK were aged between 16 and
29 (Figure 2.12 overleaf). In 2006 this proportion had fallen to
Overall there were around 278,000 marriages in the UK in
38 per cent. The largest fall was among men and women aged
2006. UK figures include foreign citizens who came to the UK
between 20 and 24. In 1996 this age group accounted for
to get married but do not include UK residents who travelled
19 per cent of people getting married compared with
abroad to marry. Research suggests that since 2002 there may
11 per cent in 2006. The proportion of people getting married
be between 20,000 and 40,000 marriages of UK residents that
at the age of 30 and over increased, most noticeably for people
are not recorded in the UK each year.
aged between 35 and 39. More than one in six people who
The majority of people who married in the UK in 2006 did so
for the first time: around 71 per cent of men and 72 per cent
got married in 1996 (16 per cent) were in this age group
compared with nearly one-quarter (24 per cent) in 2006.
of women (Table 2.11). This proportion remained stable
The average age at first marriage rose between 1996 and
between 1996 and 2006, fluctuating between 70 and
2006. For men it was 29.3 in 1996 and 31.8 in 2006. For
71 per cent for men and 70 and 72 per cent for women.
women it rose from 27.2 to 29.7. For men who had been
Around one-quarter of men (27 per cent) and women
married and divorced at least once before, the average age at
(25 per cent) who married in 2006 had been married and
remarriage rose from 41.7 in 1996 to 46.0 in 2006. For women
divorced at least once before. In 2006, the proportion of
who had been married and divorced at least once before the
people remarrying who were widowed was 2 per cent, a figure
equivalent ages were 38.6 and 43.1. This trend towards
that has remained stable over the last ten years.
delayed marriage is not new. In 1966 the average age at first
19
2
Chapter 2: Households and families
2
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
Figure 2.12
Figure 2.13
Age distribution of marriages1
Divorce: by duration of marriage
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Percentages
Thousands
35
200
20 years and over
10–19 years
5–9 years
Under 5 years
1996
2006
30
160
25
20
120
15
80
10
5
40
0
Under
20
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–44
45–54
55
and over
1 Includes first marriages and remarriages.
Source: Office for National Statistics; General Register Office for Scotland;
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
0
1996
2000
2004
2006
Source: Office for National Statistics; General Register Office for Scotland;
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Attitudes towards marriage and family life have changed over
marriage was 24.9 for men and 22.5 for women. At remarriage
time and many people now have different attitudes from their
it was 39.3 for men and 36.2 for women.
parents. According to the 2006 British Social Attitudes Survey,
Divorces granted in the UK peaked in 1993, at slightly more
than 180,000. In 2007 the number of divorces granted in the
UK was close to 144,000. This was the third consecutive fall
in the number of UK divorces and the lowest number of
divorces since 1977. In England and Wales there were around
129,000 divorces in 2007, a fall of 3 per cent on 2006. This is
the lowest number since 1979 when there were around
127,000 divorces. The number of divorces in Scotland also
decreased, falling from around 13,000 in 2006 to slightly less
than 13,000 in 2007. In Northern Ireland the number of
divorces increased between 2006 and 2007 by 14 per cent to
around 2,900.
two-thirds (66 per cent) of people in Great Britain think that
there is little social difference between being married and living
together. However, more than one-half (56 per cent) of adults
surveyed in 2006 agreed that marriage is still the best kind of
relationship, a fall of 3 percentage points since the 2000 survey
(Table 2.14). Almost three in ten (29 per cent) people in
Great Britain felt that married couples make better parents
than unmarried ones, similar to 2000 when 28 per cent agreed
with this statement. When asked if they agree that marriage is
financially more secure than cohabitation, almost one-half
(49 per cent) of respondents agreed in 2000. By 2006 this
proportion had risen to almost two-thirds (64 per cent). This
increase may partly be the result of a government-funded
In 2006 around 25,000 divorces in the UK were granted to
campaign in 2004 to raise awareness that cohabiting couples
couples who had been married for fewer than five years, a fall
do not have the same legal rights as people who are married.
of 32 per cent compared with 1996 (Figure 2.13). Around one
In spite of this campaign, less than one-fifth (19 per cent) of
in four divorces granted in 2006 were to couples who had
cohabiting couples questioned in 2006 had sought advice
been married for 15 years or more. The average duration of
about their legal position and an even lower proportion
marriage for divorces granted in England and Wales in 2005
(15 per cent) of cohabiting couples who owned their
was 11.6 years compared with 9.9 years in 1996.
accommodation had a written agreement about their share in
More than one-half (51 per cent) of couples divorcing in
the ownership.
England and Wales in 2007 had at least one child aged under
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 enables same-sex couples aged
16. Of those children under 16 who were involved in divorce,
16 and over to obtain legal recognition of their partnership
20 per cent were under five years old and 63 per cent were
(see Appendix, Part 2: Civil partnership). The Act came into
under eleven. Around one-third (34 per cent) of divorces in
force in the UK on 5 December 2005 and by 31 December
2007 did not involve children of any age.
almost 2,000 couples had registered their partnership
20
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
Chapter 2: Households and families
Table 2.14
corresponding proportions of the resident adult populations in
the constituent countries were 84 per cent, 9 per cent,
Attitudes to marriage1
5 per cent and 3 per cent (for further information see
Great Britain
Percentages
Agreed
with
statement
2000
Agreed
with
statement
2006
Chapter 1: Population, Table 1.1).
In 2007 male civil partnerships accounted for 55 per cent of all
UK civil partnerships compared with 60 per cent in 2006.
More men than women registered partnerships in England
(56 per cent) and Northern Ireland (54 per cent) in 2007. In
Married couples make better parents than
unmarried ones
28
29
Wales there were more female civil partnerships (56 per cent)
and in Scotland slightly more female partnerships (51 per cent).
Even though it might not work out for
some people, marriage is still the best
kind of relationship
59
56
Marriage gives couples more financial
security than living together
49
64
9
9
To dissolve a civil partnership a couple must have been in a
registered partnership for at least 12 months. There were 42
There is no point getting married – it’s only
a piece of paper
civil partnership dissolutions granted in the UK in 2007, of
which 14 were to male couples and 28 were to female
couples.
1 Adults aged 18 and over were asked if they agreed with the above
statements. Excludes those who responded ‘don’t know’ or did not
answer.
Partnership trends show a marked increase in the number of
Source: British Social Attitudes Survey, National Centre for Social
Research
unmarried men aged between 16 and 59 were cohabiting in
people cohabiting. In 2006 almost one-quarter (24 per cent) of
Great Britain compared with 11 per cent in 1986. One-quarter
(Figure 2.15). In 2007 around 8,700 civil partnerships were
(25 per cent) of unmarried women in the same age group were
formed in the UK, a fall of 46 per cent from 2006. The fall is
cohabiting in Great Britain in 2006 compared with 13 per cent
because of the artificially high 2006 figure, this being the first
in 1986.
full year that existing same-sex couples who wished to register
a partnership were legally allowed to do so.
For the generation of people born between 1966 and 1970,
the proportion of men and women who were cohabiting at
The majority (87 per cent) of civil partnerships formed in the
ages 15 to 19 was almost 1 per cent. For those born between
UK in 2007 were in England, followed by Scotland (8 per cent),
1976 and 1980, this figure rose to almost 2 per cent
Wales (3 per cent) and Northern Ireland (1 per cent). The
(Figure 2.16). The proportion of adults cohabiting in their early
Figure 2.15
Figure 2.16
Civil partnerships:1 by sex, 2005 to 2007
Proportion of individuals cohabiting: by year of
birth and age at survey, 2006
United Kingdom
Great Britain
Number of partnerships
Percentages
2,000
Women
Men
30
1,600
25
1,200
1966–1970
1971–1975
1976–19801
20
15
800
10
400
5
0
Dec
Mar
Jun
Sep
Dec
Mar
Jun
Sep
Dec
0
15–19
20–24
25–29
1 Data do not include civil partnerships of UK residents taking place
abroad but will include non-UK residents who form a partnership in the
UK. See Appendix, Part 2: Civil partnership.
1 Data are not yet complete for age 25 to 29 where individuals were born
between 1976 and 1980.
Source: Office for National Statistics; General Register Office for Scotland;
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Source: General Household Survey (Longitudinal), Office for National
Statistics
21
2
Chapter 2: Households and families
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
20s has also risen for younger generations. For those born
Family formation
between 1966 and 1970, the proportion cohabiting between
Changing attitudes to family size, marriage and cohabitation,
the ages of 20 and 24 was 13 per cent compared with
20 per cent for those born between 1976 and 1980. The most
2
and increasing female participation in education and the labour
market have all affected the age at which women give birth.
pronounced shift in cohabitation patterns can be seen by
comparing adults born between 1966 and 1970 with those
born between 1971 and 1975 in terms of the proportions who
The average age of mothers at childbirth in England and Wales
fell from 28.7 years for women born in 1920 to a low of
26.0 years for women born in the mid-1940s, alongside a slight
were cohabiting between the ages of 25 and 29. At these
ages, almost 18 per cent of people born between 1966 and
1970 were cohabiting, compared with around one-quarter
decrease in the average age of marriage. The average age at
childbirth has risen steadily since then and is projected to be
around 29 years for women born in the early 1980s onwards.
(26 per cent) of those born between 1971 and 1975.
Women’s experiences of family events have changed over time,
reflecting the trends of delayed marriage and motherhood and
increasing levels of cohabitation. Just 1 per cent of women
aged between 55 and 59 in 2001–03 had cohabited before the
age of 25 compared with 21 per cent of those aged between
25 and 29 in 2001–03 (Figure 2.17). Conversely, three-quarters
(75 per cent) of women aged between 55 and 59 in 2001–03
had been married before the age of 25 compared with around
one-quarter (24 per cent) of women aged between 25 and 29.
In 2007 the average age for women giving birth in England
and Wales was 29.3 years, compared with 28.3 in 1997 and
26.6 years in 1971 (Figure 2.18). The average age of women in
England and Wales at the birth of their first child was 27.5 in
2007, compared with 26.1 years in 1997 and 23.7 years in
1971. Unmarried women tend to give birth at younger ages
than married women; the average age of unmarried mothers at
childbirth was 27.1 years in 2007 compared with 31.5 years for
married mothers.
More than one-half (51 per cent) of women aged between 55
The conception rate for females in England and Wales rose for
and 59 in 2001–03 had become a mother before the age of
the fifth consecutive year between 2005 and 2006 to 78
25. For women aged between 25 and 29 in 2001–03 it was
conceptions per 1,000 women. It is estimated there were
less than one-third (30 per cent). The proportion of women
870,000 conceptions to women resident in England and Wales
experiencing marriage breakdown before they reached the age
in 2006, 78 per cent of which led to a maternity. Around
of 25 has more than doubled for younger generations, rising
26 per cent of conceptions were to women aged 25 to 29 in
from 6 per cent for women in their late 50s in 2001–03 to
2006, compared with almost 31 per cent in 1996. In both 1996
13 per cent for women in their late 20s.
and 2006 around one-quarter (24 per cent) of conceptions
Figure 2.17
Figure 2.18
Experience of family events by women when
aged 25: by age1 in 2001–032
Average age of mother:1 by birth order2
Great Britain
England & Wales
Percentages
Mean age (years)
80
33
Marriage
32
Fourth
31
60
Birth of child
30
29
40
Third
Second
All
28
27
20
First
Marriage breakdown
26
Cohabitation
0
55–59
50–54
45–49
40–44
35–39
30–34
25–29
1 Age at time of interview.
2 Combined years: 2001, 2002 and 2003.
Source: General Household Survey (Longitudinal), Office for National
Statistics
22
0
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
1 Standardised for the age-distribution of the population. This measure is
more appropriate for use when analysing trends or making comparisons
between different geographies.
2 See Appendix, Part 2: True birth order.
Source: Office for National Statistics
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
Chapter 2: Households and families
Table 2.19
Teenage conceptions:1 by age at conception and outcome, 2006
England & Wales2
2
Rates per 1,000 females3
Conceptions
(numbers)
Leading to
abortions
(percentages)
All
conceptions
Leading to
maternities
Leading to
abortions
295
63
0.9
0.3
0.6
Under 14
14
1,764
65
5.2
1.8
3.4
15
5,767
58
16.8
7.1
9.7
All aged under 16
7,826
60
7.8
3.1
4.7
16
13,107
49
38.6
19.8
18.8
17
20,835
44
61.3
34.3
27.0
All aged under 18
41,768
48
40.9
21.1
19.8
18
28,494
39
82.1
50.0
32.1
19
32,858
36
95.7
61.3
34.3
103,120
42
60.2
35.0
25.2
All aged under 20
1 See Appendix, Part 2: Conceptions.
2 Residents only.
3 Rates for females aged under 14, under 16, under 18 and under 20 are based on the population of females aged 13, 13 to 15, 15 to 17 and 15 to 19
respectively.
Source: Office for National Statistics
were to women aged between 30 and 34 but the proportion
experience difficulty conceiving and, although around
to women in their late 30s rose from 9 per cent in 1996 to
95 per cent of women who are trying to get pregnant conceive
13 per cent in 2006. Overall, 56 per cent of conceptions in
within two years, a minority will not. The National Institute for
2006 were outside marriage compared with almost one-half
Clinical Excellence (NICE) defines infertility as failing to get
(49 per cent) in 1996.
pregnant after two years of regular unprotected sex and
There were around 103,000 conceptions to females aged
suggests that eligible couples should be offered up to three
under 20 in England and Wales in 2006 (Table 2.19) compared
with almost 95,000 in 1996. Of the conceptions to females
Figure 2.20
aged under 20 in 2006, 59 per cent were to women aged 18
Maternities with multiple births1
and 19, 33 per cent were to women aged 16 and 17, and
8 per cent were to girls under 16. The likelihood that
conceptions among teenage girls will lead to abortion
England & Wales
Rates per 1,000 maternities
16
decreases with age; in 2006, six in ten (60 per cent)
conceptions to girls aged under 16 led to an abortion,
14
compared with less than one-half for women aged 16 and 17
12
and less than four in ten for 18 and 19-year-olds.
10
In 2007 there were around 21,100 multiple births in England
8
and Wales. The multiple maternity rate was 15.3 per 1,000
6
maternities, compared with 14.5 per 1,000 in 1997 and 9.9 per
1,000 in 1975 (Figure 2.20). There were 10,300 sets of twins
4
and 140 sets of triplets or higher born in England and Wales
2
in 2007.
0
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2007
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)
1 Data include maternities where live births and/or stillbirths occurred.
estimates that around one in seven couples in the UK
Source: Office for National Statistics
23
Chapter 2: Households and families
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment on the National
in foster care provided by a council and around one in ten
Health Service.
(11 per cent) were cared for by a relative or friend. In some
cases care was provided outside the child’s local council area.
The risk of multiple births is around ten times higher with IVF
2
than through natural conception; around one in four IVF
The figures in Table 2.21 are a snapshot at two points in time
pregnancies result in the birth of twins. Multiple maternities
and the number of children passing into and out of care is
carry risks associated with premature birth and low birth weight,
different from the number in care at a given point. In the year
as well as longer term health risks for surviving children. For
ending March 2008, 23,000 children started to be looked after
example, the risk of death before birth or within the first week
in England and 17,300 of these were placed in foster care.
of life is more than four times greater for twins than for single
Around 24,100 children ceased to be looked after in the same
births and almost seven times greater for triplets.
year; 12,600 children left foster care and altogether 3,100
children were placed for adoption. Of those children placed for
Sometimes families come under pressure and for a variety of
adoption, 14 per cent were placed for adoption with their
reasons children cannot live with their parents. Children may
current foster carer. A pilot scheme announced by the
need temporary care while parents overcome an illness or sort
Government in 2008 (the Staying Put pilots) will give young
out problems that adversely affect the family. Children may
people in some regions of England the opportunity to stay on in
have problems and need help to get through a difficult period
their foster families after the age of 18, until they feel ready to
in their lives. In some instances children are neglected or
move on to independent living. This may have an affect on the
abused and need to get away from their family. There were
future number of children looked after, fostered and adopted.
59,500 children being looked after in England at 31 March
2008 (excluding children looked after in a series of short-term
There were 4,630 children looked after in Wales at 31 March
placements) compared with 60,000 in 2007 and 61,200 in
2008 (excluding children looked after in a series of short-term
2004 (Table 2.21). Fostering is one way of providing a family life
placements). As in England, the majority (75 per cent) were in
for children who cannot live with their own parents and the
foster care. During the year ending 31 March 2008, 1,450
majority (71 per cent) of looked after children were in foster
children started to be looked after and 1,430 children ceased
placements. Around 42 per cent of looked after children were
being looked after in Wales.
Some children cannot live with their parents and need a
Table 2.21
permanent family to care for them. The Adoption and Children
Looked after children in foster placements1
This modernised the legal framework for adoption in England
Act 2002 was fully implemented at the end of December 2005.
England
Percentages
2004
2008
Figure 2.22
Adoptions: by age of child1
Foster placements
67
71
9
8
3.0
34
33
2.5
2
5
Foster placement inside council boundary
With relative or friend
England & Wales
Thousands
With other foster carer
Provided by council
Arranged through agency
1–4
2.0
Foster placements outside council boundary
With relative or friend
5–9
3
3
8
9
10
13
1.5
With other foster carer
Provided by council
Arranged through agency
1.0
10–14
0.5
children2
All looked after
(=100%) (thousands)
61.2
59.5
0.0
1996
15–17
Under 1
1998
2000
2002
2004
2007
1 At 31 March each year.
2 Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of
short-term placements.
1 By age of child at entry of adoption order in the Adopted Children
Register. Data for 2001, 2006 and 2007 include cases where the child
was older than 17 years.
Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families
Source: Office for National Statistics
24
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition
Chapter 2: Households and families
and Wales, allowing for adoption orders to be made in favour
in 2006 and 31 per cent in 1997. More than one-quarter
of civil partners, same-sex couples and unmarried couples, as
(26 per cent) of children adopted in 2007 were aged between
well as single people and married couples.
five and nine, compared with 28 per cent in 2006 and
Approximately 4,700 children were entered in the Adopted
Children Register in England and Wales following court orders
in 2007, the lowest number since 1998. This included a
considerable number of adoptions by relatives and step-parents
as well as adoptions of children in foster care. Around
55 per cent of all children adopted in 2007 were aged between
one and four years old (Figure 2.22) compared with 53 per cent
36 per cent in 1997. Only 4 per cent of adoptions in 2007
2
involved children aged between 15 and 17, a figure that has
remained stable since 2000. Longer-term trends show that
there were almost 21,500 adoptions in England and Wales in
1971, at least four times more than in 2007. The number of
adoptions fell rapidly during the 1970s and then continued to
fall steadily during the 1980s and 1990s.
25
Chapter 2: Households and families
2
26
Social Trends 39: 2009 edition