Marriages fall to record lowest level

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For the first time, fewer than two in every 100 women got married in a single year.

In 2008, the marriage rate for women fell from two per cent to 1.96 per cent, less than half the rate 25 years ago. There were 228,204 marriages in total.

Commentators have blamed the escalating cost of getting married and the lack of government support for the institution for it falling out of favour.

The average age of women marrying for the first time continues to move towards 30, at 29.9, up
from 29.8 during 2007. The average man gets married at 32.1 years, up from 32 in 2007.