43% of births in Northern Ireland are to unmarried parents.

**~~Baluarte~~** · 05-10-2013, 09:49 AM

43% of births in Northern Ireland are to unmarried parents. Is it a lifestyle choice or are weddings too costly?

ALMOST half of all births in Northern Ireland are now to unmarried parents – suggesting marriage is no longer the priority it once was for couples.

Government statistics released show 43% of births last year were to unwed parents – the highest figure on record.

It means of the 25,300 babies born here in 2012, 10,879 were delivered to parents who weren't married. Thirty years ago the figure was just 8%.

It is a trend that has crept up by roughly 10% per decade, sitting at 22% back in 1992.

Northern Ireland keeps its reputation as the most conservative part of the UK, however, when it comes to having children out of wedlock. In Scotland, 51% of births last year were outside marriage, and in England and Wales the figure was 47%.

With benefits and working credits the same for couples whether they are married or living together, it is thought the change relates to social trends as opposed to any financial benefits. The only couples that would benefit are those failing to declare they live together.

Other key findings of the report, released yesterday by the Department of Finance, show the number of births to teenage mums fell to the lowest on record in both deprived and more affluent areas, reflective of trends across the UK and Ireland. The number of births to teenage mothers last year was 6% lower than 2011 (1,170 births) and 27% lower than a decade ago (1,502 births), the official report said.

In the last decade, the number of births to mothers aged under 17 has decreased by 26% (149 births in 2002) to 110 births last year.

Continuing the trend towards later child-bearing, more than half of all births registered last year (52%) were also to mothers aged 30 or more. This contrasts with 30 years ago when less than one-third of births (32%) were to mothers in this age group. The number of births to women over 40, however, remains largely static at 3.7%.

David Marshall, from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), which compiled the report, said: "In overall terms, the number of births has remained broadly stable over the last five years.

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In Old World terminology, half of the British newborns today are bastards.
Anachronic, I know, but just a thought.

**Tyfani** · 05-10-2013, 09:52 AM

this is just sad...

**~~Baluarte~~** · 05-10-2013, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Tyfani

this is just sad...

The United Kingdom is the country that has embraced more openly the liberal-libertarian point of view. Secularization and relativism are endemic.
Natural result...even if I do feel sorry for the children.

**alfieb** · 05-10-2013, 10:06 AM

A shame it isn't broken down by Irish Catholic vs. British Protestant dynamics.

Isn't abortion illegal in NI, or was it just the Republic?

**The Lawspeaker** · 05-10-2013, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by alfieb

A shame it isn't broken down by Irish Catholic vs. British Protestant dynamics.

Isn't abortion illegal in NI, or was it just the Republic?

Just the Republic.

**Graham** · 05-10-2013, 10:09 AM

Scotland wins again. We are the least religious. Like the rest of Northern Europe.

**alfieb** · 05-10-2013, 10:09 AM

Oh. Because that could've been used as an excuse.

"Kids are going to have sex. If you can't have an abortion, it's only logical that so many kids are born out of wedlock."

**~~Baluarte~~** · 05-10-2013, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by Graham

Scotland wins again. We are the least religious. Like the rest of Northern Europe.

Abandonment of native religion only means you're prepared to accept and convert to a new foreign religion. That has always been the case in human history.

It makes sense once you correlate the increasing secularization of British Christians, with the rising conversions (specially of women) to Islam.

But going beyond the pure denomination thing, I wonder what is the effect this shall have on the new generation.

**wvwvw** · 05-10-2013, 10:12 AM

Most of those Irish couples live together, have kids and they don't differ in any way from married couples. They just don't see marriage as important.

**alfieb** · 05-10-2013, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by Raine

Most of those Irish couples live together, have kids and they don't differ in any way from married couples. They just don't see marriage as important.

I thought of that and checked. Apparently, there is no such thing as common-law marriage in Northern Ireland.