A new poll has found that most young people do not plan to get married before starting a family.
Their thinking has been put down to uncertainty over the cost of living and the current job market and reflects a very different understanding of settling down to that of their parents.
Research
54 per cent say they do not expect to be married before having their first child, according to the research by Santander Insurance.
Only 45 per cent believe they will own their own home before having children and only four in ten expect to begin parenthood with a secure job or a regular income.
Half of the young people surveyed expected to have savings before their first child.
Only a minority felt they would have completed full time education or own a car before becoming parents.
Prioritising
Richard Al-Dabbagh, of Santander Insurance, said: “Parents are increasingly prioritising having a child over other aspects of life such as home ownership and marriage.
“The financial commitments involved with all of these things are significant and against a backdrop of squeezed incomes it’s simply not possible for every family to tick every box.
“However, having some form of financial contingency is vital.”
Benefits of marriage
Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, commented: “The link in people’s minds between marriage and having children has been severed. This is not for the best. Research, such as that done by the Centre for Social Justice, has repeatedly shown that family breakdown is far less likely when parents are married.
“Parents do better and children do better when the parents are married. Marriage is fundamental to a stable and flourishing society.
“This research shows that young people need to be taught the benefits of marriage for them and for their future children.”
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