Marriage can wait till time is right

MARRIAGE as a formal institution has long been in decline. But the latest figures still cause a jolt. The number of marriages in Scotland has dropped to its lowest level since 1893. Many will construct on the basis of this one fact a deeply pessimistic view of contemporary culture and social order. Has not this decline coincided with a relentless rise in one-parent families, feral behaviour and the erosion of discipline and good behaviour in schools?

It is to marriage and the institution of the family that we owe so much: stability for child rearing, greater material security and the priceless sense of guardianship and protection that a loving family can give. A decline in marriage is not a trend that we should view at all lightly. But set against that is the growing incidence of partnerships which work well in a large majority of cases. The formal protocols of marriage may be absent. But the essence of a secure, lasting and loving relationship is to be found.

Nor should the latest decline in the numbers getting married be seen as part of a continuing cultural decay. According to Professor Robert Wright, an adviser on population projections, the recession has had a significant impact. Marriage, he reminds us, is not a cheap event and is something that people can and do postpone. And that is good sense: a young person whose job may be at risk is not going to spend 10,000 on a lavish wedding for relatives and relatives-to-be. Deferral may strengthen the bond.