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This table compares the statistics of marriage in Australia in 1981 and 2002. In 1981, there were fewer marriages, people got married older, there were higher divorce rates and more couples lived together before marriage than in 2002. According to the table, the number of registered marriages decreased slightly, whilst at the same time, brides and grooms were older by 5.7 and 5.1 years respectively. There was a noticeable upward trend that the percentage of couples who lived together before marriage jumped from 42% in 1981 to 73% in 2002.

There are many possible reasons for these trends. Firstly, the changing role of women in the workplace might have been a reason for people fewer marriages. Women might have focused more on work than family, so they may not have worried about marriage. Secondly, divorces could have become more socially acceptable and that might have been a reason for increased divorce rates. In the past, people may have felt embarrassed when they wanted to divorce or faced family violence. But, now a number of associations would have helped people to solve these problems, which could have encouraged people to divorce. Finally, modern society may have put people under too much pressure, so they would have become more afraid of marriages. That people were choosing to live together without getting married, could have meant that people wanted to set themselves free from responsibility of formal relationships.