The marriage gap

Whatever their views about the monarchy, most people will warm to the news of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement. Sentimental as it sounds, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the last royal wedding and how happy I felt for Prince William and Kate Middleton, as she was then. It was one of those rare events when you felt lucky to live in a good country with a bright future. A marriage is, after all, the ultimate statement of confidence in the future — and God knows, we could all do with that right now.

Marriage is not easy and never has been, as Harry will know from his own childhood. Nevertheless, people have always accepted that marital unions and stable families make society healthier, happier and more prosperous. That’s why we celebrate them so publicly, and always have done.

For example, every July at Great Dunmow in Essex, a ‘flitch’ (side) of bacon is awarded to a happy couple who can convince a panel that they have not regretted getting married for ‘a year and a day’. The Dunmow Flitch Trials, which date to the 12th century, represent an early instance of the authorities offering incentives to people to marry and stay together.

Now it’s said that marriage is under threat in British society. It was recently revealed that almost half of children are born to unmarried parents; this figure, however, hides a bit of divergence. For the well-off, marriage rates are high, and have stayed high. It’s for those lower down the income scale that family life is changing.