Divorces in England and Wales: 2018

The divorce rate among opposite-sex couples fell to 7.5 divorces per 1,000 married men and women from 8.4 in 2017, the lowest rate since 1971; this will also have been affected by the backlog of work in divorce centres in 2018.

The latest divorce figures, released last year, revealed the divorce rate for heterosexual couples in the UK dropped dramatically in 2018 with 90,871 divorces of heterosexual couples in England and Wales compared with 101,669 divorces in 2017.

he divorce rate among opposite-sex couples in England and Wales has reached a record low, with marriages now lasting for an average of 12.2 years.

This 2017 figure is the joint highest on record, tied with 1972, and is an increase of 0.2 years compared to 2016.

In 2017 the rate of divorces among opposite-sex couples in England and Wales was 8.4 per 1,000 married couples, the lowest it has been since 1973.

Divorce rates fell among all age groups between 2016 and 2017 apart from among those aged over 60 where rates stayed steady at 1.6 per 1,000 couples.

The ONS, who produce the figures, noted that this decrease in the prevalence of divorce is likely to be due to increases in the average ages at which people get married.

Marriage customs reflect people’s different attitudes toward marriage. These attitudes are connected with some philosophical reasons and historical reasons.

Confucianism is the cornerstone of traditional Chinese culture. It has dominated the feudal society and even today’s China for about 2,000 years. Its influence over Chinese attitudes towards marriage cannot be ignored. Confucius aimed to discipline oneself and revive the ethics of Zhou dynasty, so he put forward a series of norms. Some basic Confucian doctrines are human beings are teachable, men should pay filial piety to their parents and brothers, and people should show obedience and respect to authority. The last two doctrines exert great influence on Chinese people’s attitudes to family and marriage.

From the point view of westerners, marriage also has two intentions: one is to give a good result of their love, and the other is to find a life-long partner so as to be fulfilled physiologically and psychologically. If love does not exist between two people, they will not consider getting married. Love is priority in a marriage in American culture.

The Strictly speaking, Confucianism is not a religion. Confucius influence on traditional Chinese marriage customs has explained in the above analysis. Traditional Chinese culture’s influence will be discussed more in next analysis. The essential spirit of traditional Chinese culture is the equilibrium/mean and harmony that took shape during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The features of traditional Chinese culture includes: emphasis on integration, emphasis on ethics/moral principles/relations of humanity and emphasis on inheritance/continuity/transmission. For all these reasons, Chinese people pay more attention to groups’ interests like families’ and countries’ interests. This kind of influence on traditional Chinese marriage customs will not be explained here.

In the UK, religion plays an important role in their lives especially in their marriage. Western marriage may originate from the story of Adam and Eve in the holy bible. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus answered the question of the Pharisees about marriage, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you that precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother; and shall cleave to his wife. And they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore, now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Christianity influences marriage customs in many ways: most people will choose church to hold their wedding ceremony regardless of their religious faith; the couple should speak out their wedding vows when a priest officiate the ceremony.

The atmosphere of the homestay is good, here is the interview :

1.what contributes to a good family atmosphere?

love from the bottom of our  heart

2. what makes good marriage?

working together , sharing together.

3. Chinese people really pay more attention to marriage certificate, which  guarantees  the rights of a marriage .Do you think it is important for long-term relationship with a lifepartner?

no, it is only a piece of paper, many people get married and then divorce, I have seen many people live happily togther without getting married.

4. what about the attitude to marriage of young people in the UK?

they live together to know each other better, to see if it is compatible.

An interview with our homestay- Sara:

1. Q: We find there is a good atmosphere between your family members, how do you deep a good atmosphere in your home?

A: We were always getting on very well. We never don’t fight, and we talk to each other every day, “love you”.

2. Q: What do you think makes a good marriage?

A: Being with David(her husband) is a good marriage. When we got together, we were mature, and we grew up. We were happy with ourselves. I think we were honest and open to each other.   I think he is my best friend.

3. Q: Chinese people really pay more attention on the marriage certificate to guarantee the right of husband and wife. Do you think the British people think it is important?

A:We all want the law guarantee. If we really find the MR. right or MISS. right, that is good. It takes long time to know and get along well with someone.

4. Q: What about the attitude to marriage of young people in the UK?

A: My son ever said, he would not marry one until he is at his forties. I think it is better to think whether our children are happy or not during their falling in love with someone.

After we came to England , we found there are many differences about the attitude towards marriage and families , we want to explore more about reasons behind this cultural phenomenon , so we decide to find out and share about the marriage difference between China and the UK.