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Politics
Andy Hayward, Associate Professor in Family Law, Durham University

Cohabitation: it's time to take legal reform seriously

England United Kingdom Wales Women and Equalities Committee
fizkes/Shutterstock

We live our lives differently today. Marriage is no longer the go-to choice for couples. The marriage rate is now the lowest since records began in 1862 and many couples are instead cohabiting. The unmarried family has become the fastest-growing family type in the UK.

The number of cohabitants has grown from around 1.5 million in 1996 to around 3.6 million in 2021, representing an increase of 144%. That amounts to one in five couples today and that figure is predicted to rise to one in four by 2031.

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