Families and household
More young people choose to cohabit
Living arrangements of the population aged 20 to 24, UK
Fewer young people aged 20 to 24 decided to marry between 1998 and 2008 in the UK, choosing instead to cohabit, live with their parents, or live alone (with or without children).
Over this period, the proportion of young people aged 20 to 24 who were married fell from 9 per cent to 6 per cent. At the same time, the proportion cohabiting rose from 15 per cent to 19 per cent, while the proportions for other living arrangements remained the same. Since a peak in the 1970s, there has been a fall in marriage rates. This is partly due to the decisions of young people who, compared with previous generations, tend to marry later in life or not to marry at all. For men, the average (mean) age at first marriage has risen from 24 in 1970 to 32 in 2006. For women, the equivalent figure rose from 22 in 1970 to 30 in 2006.
The long-term rise in cohabitation is well established, with young people more likely to be cohabiting than other age groups. Although statistics are not available for the number of cohabitation breakdowns, some information on previous cohabitations is available from survey questions on family history. In 2007, 11 per cent of women in Great Britain aged between 20 and 24 had experienced at least one cohabitation separation. The equivalent figure for men was 9 per cent. This difference between men and women probably reflects the tendency for men to be slightly older than their partners on average.
Proportions of young people living with parents: by age, UK
As young people get older, they are less likely to live with their parents. In 2008, the proportion of those aged 16 to 19 who were living with parents was almost 90 per cent. The equivalent figure for those aged 20 to 24 was 44 per cent, compared with 18 per cent of those aged 25 to 29. It is important to remember that people may come back to live with their parents, as well as leaving to live in a family or as a lone adult. Nevertheless, the proportion of young people living with their parents remained very similar between 1998 and 2008. The only notable change was an increase of 2 percentage points for those aged 25 to 29, rising from 16 per cent in 1998 to 18 per cent in 2008.
Source: Labour Force Survey; Office for National Statistics
Notes: Proportions in the first chart exclude those in civil partnerships and same-sex cohabiting couples, which are less than 1 per cent.
In the second chart 'living with parents' includes all children in families, who may not be living with their natural parents (eg. adopted children).
printer-friendly
Focus on Children and Young People