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Back in the 1950s and ‘60s, marriage was seen as an institution fundamental to the structure and stability of society; so fundamental, in fact that it was unthinkable that a couple would live together out of wedlock. The institution of marriage was held in high importance by all echelons of society and marriage ceremonies reflected this diversity, ranging from sumptuous lavish affairs on which no expense was spared (admittedly the preserve of only the super-rich and royalty in this austere post-war era) to simple and humble gatherings with little more than good cheer and a handful of rice to bless the union.
As the 1950s' austerity and propriety began to give way to the colourful and flamboyant popular culture of the 1960s, common attitudes towards marriage (as with many other aspects of traditional society) began to experience something of a sea change. The idea that lovers had to have their relationship blessed by church and state in order for it to be considered valid was anathema to the free love generation, who scandalised the social old guard by cohabiting in their droves and producing innumerable bastard children. It is in fact due largely to the pioneering social reforms brought about by my parents' generation that the phrase ‘out of wedlock' now sounds like some bizarre anachronism from some bygone Victorian litany. These new challenges to the old social order began to tell on the number of marriages taking place, and marriage rates began to slow down, peaking in 1970 with around 389 million UK weddings performed before entering a steady decline – marriages in 2000 totalled 180 million, just over half the number that took place in 1950.
Whether you believe in marriage as fundamental to the wellbeing of society or not it is undeniable that its popularity has declined sharply in recent decades, but certain key cultural indicators in the last couple of years could suggest that this downward trend may have bottomed out, and that marriage could shortly see a resurgence in popularity.
The recent government decision to allow state-sanctioned civil partnerships for same sex couples whilst, in my opinion at least, a long overdue step forward in terms of sexual equality, stops some way short of actual marriage. Nevertheless, many gay and lesbian couples are treating the civil partnership as the equivalent of marriage, adopting such traditional wedding trappings as exchange of vows, blessing ceremonies and lavish receptions. At present, huge numbers of couples are taking advantage of this law, in part due to its relative newness as many have been together for years simply awaiting their chance to legally validate their union and still more are determined to take advantage of this hard-won recognition of their rights. Of course, given that the government distinguish a civil partnership from a marriage proper, the legal enshrinement of same sex coupledom will not have a direct effect on the official marriage statistics, yet it is a truism that gay and lesbian social groups often lead the pack in terms of social trends, be that in fashion, spending or lifestyle. The high number of gay celebrities taking advantage of their new legal freedoms, together with the ongoing media debate over the nature of marriage in light of this ruling, has thrust the issue of marriage into the public consciousness in unprecedented fashion, and it is no great leap of faith to imagine that this could lead an upswing in the number of traditional marriages, at least in the short term.