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Scotland's Population 2001: The Registrar General's Annual Review of Demographic Trends

CHAPTER 6 – MARRIAGES, DIVORCES AND ADOPTIONS

The General Register Office for Scotland also registers marriages, divorces, and adoptions in Scotland, and the trends shed light on changing attitudes in society.

MARRIAGES

In 2001, there were 29,621 marriages in Scotland compared with over 41,000 in 1951. Figure 6.1, however, shows that the decline in the number of marriages may be levelling out at around 30,000 a year. Over 70 per cent of the marriages in 2001 were to couples where both or one partner was resident in Scotland.

Figure 6.1 Marriages, Scotland, 1951–2001

Figure 6.1 Marriages, Scotland, 1951–2001

Marriages of non-residents

The information on marriages in this chapter covers all marriages which were registered as having taken place in Scotland regardless of the usual residence of the parties involved. For almost 30 per cent of the marriages registered in 2001 neither the bride nor the groom was resident in Scotland and half of these took place at Gretna. For some demographic purposes users might wish to limit analyses to specific categories of residents. Further details of available information may be obtained from the GROS Customer Service address given in Contact Points. Conversely, a number of couples who are resident in Scotland now go abroad to be married. These marriages are not included in this chapter, and only some come to the attention of the Registrar General through notification to British Consular authorities.

The average age at marriage continues to increase for both males and females. For males the average age has risen from 27.6 in 1981 to 34.8 in 2001, while for women there has been a similar increase from 25.3 to 32.3. Possible explanations for this include extended education, difficulties with finding suitable housing, and a postponement of marriage as a result of periods of cohabitation prior to marriage. The increasing average age at first marriage, which is in line with the trend for all marriages, is consistent with these factors.

Another reason for the increase in average age at marriage is the increasing proportion of marriages where the bride or groom was divorced at the time of marriage. The average age for divorced men and women getting married is considerably higher (43 for males and 40 for females) than the average age for all people getting married. The number of marriages where at least one of the partners was previously divorced has risen from about 1 in 7 marriages in 1981 to about 1 in 4 in 2001.

The increasing age at marriage may also have wider implications, for example on births. Couples may be delaying starting a family until they are married, and the higher age at marriage may be a factor in the decline in the number of births noted in Chapter 3.

Marital status at marriage

Figure 6.2 gives the percentage of marriages by marital status at the time of marriage between 1951 and 2001. The percentage of people marrying who had been divorced rose from only 3 per cent in 1951 to just under 6 per cent during 1971, but by 2001 over a quarter (28 per cent for males and 26 per cent for females) of those marrying were divorcees. The majority of this shift reflects a reduction in the proportion of marriages where one of the partners was a bachelor/spinster. However, the proportion of those marrying who were widowed has also declined – in 2001 the proportion was about 2 per cent or about half of what it was 50 years ago.

Figure 6.2 Marriages by marital status of persons marrying, 1951–2001

Figure 6.2 Marriages by marital status of persons marrying, 1951–2001

When looking at the marital status of persons marrying it is also interesting to look at the remarriage rates, i.e. the number of marriages where one of the participants was widowed or divorced per 1,000 population of widowed or divorced people. It shows a pattern which is consistent with the declining rates of first marriages, although there are differences in the patterns for men and women.

Table 6.1 shows that widowed or divorced men have a much higher propensity to remarry than widowed or divorced women (40.7 per 1,000 population of widowed or divorced men compared with 18.7 for widowed or divorced women). This is the reverse of the pattern for first marriage rates where single women have a higher propensity to marry (35.9 per 1,000 population) than single men (29.9 per 1,000 population). This suggests that women are more likely than men to marry someone who has already been married when first marrying, and that widowed or divorced males are more likely than widowed or divorced females to marry someone who is single when remarrying.

Table 6.1 Marriage rates by sex and marital status, Scotland, 1981–2001

 

Men

Women

Bachelors1

Widowed & Divorced2

Spinsters1

Widowed & Divorced2

1981

56.1

56.7

63.1

16.6

1991

41.8

46.9

49.0

18.3

20013

29.9

40.7

35.9

18.7

1 First marriage rates per 1,000 population (single only)
2 Remarriage rates per 1,000 population (widowed and divorced only)
3 2001 rates are based on 2000 marital status estimates

Marriages by type of ceremony

Civil marriages accounted for nearly 40 per cent of all marriages in 2001. As illustrated in Figure 6.3, this is more than twice the proportion fifty years ago. The trend reflects a move away from religious marriages to civil marriages, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s when the proportion of civil marriages reached current levels. There was a further increase in the early 1990s reaching a high of 46 per cent but this has since fallen back to just under 40 per cent, reflecting an increase in religious marriages, of which a significant proportion were carried out at Gretna.

Figure 6.3 Marriages by type of ceremony, Scotland, 1951–2001

Figure 6.3 Marriages by type of ceremony, Scotland, 1951–2001

1 Includes irregular marriages

Marriages at Gretna

A recent study of marriages at Gretna (GROS Occasional Paper No. 4 Marriages at Gretna, 1975-2000) over the last twenty-five years has revealed some interesting trends. During 2001, 17 per cent of all marriages in Scotland took place at Gretna compared with less than 1 per cent in 1951. As recently as 1977, only 80 marriages took place at Gretna compared with over 5,000 in 2001. The majority of this increase has occurred in the last ten years when the numbers have more than trebled. It should be noted that in recent years neither the bride nor the groom were resident in Scotland in some 85 per cent of marriages at Gretna.

Figure 6.4 provides a breakdown of civil and religious marriages held at Gretna since the start of the big increase in Gretna marriages in 1992. It shows that the number of religious marriages held at Gretna increased from 28 in 1992 to 3,091 in 2001. This increase has made a significant contribution to the recent increase in the proportion of marriages which were religious marriages in the whole of Scotland. The increase in religious marriages during this period may reflect the wish of many couples to be married at venues other than registration offices. A change in the law during 2002 now makes it possible for civil marriages to be solemnised in a wider range of venues, and this may have an effect on the balance between religious and civil marriages in future.

Figure 6.4 Civil and religious marriages at Gretna, 1992–2001

Figure 6.4 Civil and religious marriages at Gretna, 1992–2001

DIVORCES

The number of divorces in 2001 was 10,631, around 500 fewer than in 2000 and the lowest level since 1982.

Information on divorces, which relates to divorces granted under the Divorce (Scotland) Act 1976, are for all divorces granted in Scotland regardless of where the marriage took place. Figure 6.5 shows the number of divorces between 1952 and 2001. There was a very marked increase in the number of divorces up to the early 1980s, since when the level has fluctuated. Since 1994, when there were over 13,000 divorces, there has been a steady fall and the number in 2001 was the lowest since 1982 and the first time in twenty years that the number has fallen below 11,000.

Increasing levels of co-habitation may be relevant to the recent decline in divorces since the breakdown of cohabiting relationships is not subject to divorce proceedings.

Figure 6.5 Divorces, Scotland, 1952-2001

Figure 6.5 Divorces, Scotland, 1952-2001

Grounds for divorce

Figure 6.6 shows the trend in grounds for divorce between 1981 and 2001. The Divorce (Scotland) Act 1976 introduced new grounds for divorce, principally non-cohabitation, meaning that couples separated for two or five years could file for divorce on grounds of non-cohabitation.

Figure 6.6 Number of divorces, by grounds for divorce, Scotland, 1981–2001

Figure 6.6 Number of divorces, by grounds for divorce, Scotland, 1981–2001

In 2001, non-cohabitation was the most frequent reason for divorce, accounting for 80 per cent of all divorces. Non-cohabitation (2 years and consent) increased from 25 per cent of all divorces in 1981 to over half of all divorces in 2001; non-cohabitation (5 years) increased from 14 per cent to 24 per cent; and adultery as the stated reason for divorce fell from 17 per cent to 4 per cent.

Divorces by marital status

Of those divorcing in 2001, 15 per cent of men and 14 per cent of women had divorced previously. This compares with 8 per cent for males and 7 per cent for females in 1981. This is consistent with the increase in the proportion of all marriages where one of the participants was divorced previously (now 1 in 4 marriages compared with 1 in 7 twenty years ago).

Duration of marriages that ended in divorce

Figure 6.7 compares the cumulative duration of marriages which ended in divorce in 1981 with 2001. The median duration of marriages ending in divorce is shown by the horizontal line at 50 per cent, indicating that half of marriages ending in divorce lasted for more than this duration and half less. In 2001, the median duration of marriage was 13 years, whereas the comparable duration for 1981 was 9 years. This increase may be affected by the changing balance between cohabiting relationships, and marriage.

Figure 6.7 Duration of marriages ending in divorce, 1981 and 2001

Figure 6.7 Duration of marriages ending in divorce, 1981 and 2001

Divorce by age at marriage

In 2001, 30 per cent of all divorces were to couples where at least one of the partners was aged 20 or under when they married. This is a significant fall from 60 per cent in 1981, but not unexpected given that the proportion of marriages where at least one of the partners was under 20 has fallen from 36 per cent in 1981 to 4 per cent in 2001.

ADOPTIONS

The number of adoptions recorded by the Registrar General during 2001 was 468, the second lowest number since the first full year of recording in 1931. This is nearly 60 per cent of the level in 1991 and 30 per cent of the number adopted in 1951.

Nearly 40 per cent of the children adopted in 2001 were adopted by a step-parent, while 50 per cent were adopted by non-relatives of the child. A breakdown of the age of the child adopted, by the relationship of the adopter, for 2001 is given in Figure 6.8. 13 per cent of children adopted in 2001 were aged under two, all of whom were adopted by non-relatives. In contrast, of the 24 per cent of adoptions of children aged over ten, only 7 per cent were adopted by non-relatives.

Figure 6.8 Adoptions, by age of child and relationship of the adopter(s), 2001

Figure 6.8 Adoptions, by age of child and relationship of the adopter(s), 2001

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