E6K+Table+description+Lucia

The table presents a comparison between marriage tendencies in Australia in 1981 and 2002. Overall, there is a trend to get married at an older age than in the past, and an incremental increase in separations and De facto relationships. The number of marriages registered in 1981 had decreased by over 8000 in 2002. In this period, the figures show an upward trend in the number of divorces by around 14,000. Additionally, the percentage of couples living together before marriage almost doubled from 42% in 1981 to 73% in 2002. The last factor presented in the table is the average age to get married, which soared from 23.3 to 29 years for women, and from 25.9 to 31 years for men. There are a number of factors that may have been the causes of these trends. Marriage’s lack of popularity possibly caused a decrease in the number of marriages in 2002. The changing role of women in the society certainly has had a big impact on marriages. Women have become more independent, sharing household expenses and with a career, situations that may have contributed with the climb in divorces and the increase in the average age of couples. People were more focused in their careers than in the past, a factor that could have affected also the average age of grooms, and the growing percentage of couples living together before marriage.