Archive:Marriages and births in Finland
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Popularity of getting married has declined sharply in Finland in recent years
- Author:Timo Nikander, Population Statistics, Statistics Finland
- Data extracted in November 2015
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From the late 1990s, there was a rising trend in the marriage rate until 2008. After that, it first turned slightly downwards until a huge drop took place in 2013. Compared with 2012, the number of marriages fell by nearly 3 800 and in 2013, a total of 25 119 marriages were entered into, more or less the same level as in the early 2000s. The development described above can also be seen from the annual crude marriage rates.
Main statistical findings
Exceptional dates inspired people to get married
One reason for the popularity of getting married in the 2000s, but before 2013, was exceptional dates like 08.08.08 (8 August 2008) or 12.12.12 (12 December 2012) that encouraged couples to match their weddings to these dates. For example, in December 2012, 3 460 marriages were entered into altogether, but in December 2013, the number was only 1 894, which is closer to the normal number of marriages in December over the past decade. The decrease in marriages entered into in December alone represented 42 % of the decrease in all marriages entered into during 2013.
People get married at an ever later age
In the 2000s, couples entering into their first marriage have been almost without exception older year after year. There have been only two exceptional years, the last one of which was 2013. The average age of women getting married in 2013 went down by 0.3 years to 30.4 and that of men similarly fell by 0.3 years to 32.7.
Although getting married has been postponed, nevertheless, most Finnish women and men get married at some point in life. According to the 2011 population census data, 68 % of people aged 20 or older were or had been married.
This group does not of course give a correct picture of the share of those who have sometimes been married in a situation when getting married is postponed to a later age. A better understanding can be obtained when those aged 45 and older are tabulated according to marital status. At the end of 2013, 84 % of all those 45 and older were or had been sometimes married: 86 % of women and 81 % of men.
In the 2000s, a clear tendency can be seen where the share of unmarried persons grows. In 2000, the share of those married and having been married was 88 % of all those aged 45 and older: 89 % of women and 86 % of men.
Divorce rate high
In 1988, Finland's Marriage Act was amended so that it became easier to obtain a divorce. Either of the spouses can file for divorce and either can after that file for final divorce. While the divorce is pending, there is a reconsideration period of six months, after which a petition for final divorce can be filed within one year, otherwise the petition for divorce lapses.
After the act was amended, the number of divorces rose to a new level, from around 10 000 to nearly 14 000. This number was expected to go down, when the "landslide" caused by the amendment had subsided. This appeared to be the case at first, but after a few years, the number of divorces started to rise again. From 1994, the number of divorces has remained between 13 000 and 14 000 apart from a few exceptional years.
In comparing the divorce rate to other EU countries, it can be noted that Finland's divorce rate is among the top in the EU. In 2013, the number of divorces per 1 000 inhabitants was 2.5.
Cohabitation has become more common
If we look just at the marital status structure of the population, it no longer tells the whole picture of the family structure in Finland. The reason behind this is that cohabitation, which started in the 1970s and 1980s, has become more common. Cohabitation first became more general among young adults, but later it has become so in older age groups as well. According to the 2011 population census, 15 % of Finns aged at least 20 were cohabiting. For at least nine out of ten young adults, cohabitation was their first union.
The share of cohabiting couples diminishes with age. While 31 % of those aged 20 to 29 were cohabiting, the figure was 19 % for those aged 30 to 49, 10 % for those aged 50 to 64, and 3 % for those aged 65 and older.
Few registrations of same-sex partnerships
The act on the possibility to register same-sex partnerships entered into force at the beginning of March 2002. The entry into force of the act had been expected, which is visible when comparing registrations in that year to the following year. While 446 partners registered their partnerships during 2002, the number decreased in the following year to under half of this figure. In recent years, the number of registrations has increased slightly, but the figure for 2002 has not been exceeded yet. In 2014, registrations of same-sex partnerships numbered 333.
In the first years after the act came into force, the numbers of registered male and female partnerships did not differ much from one another. In recent years, female couples have registered their partnerships much more than male couples. In the past few years, around two-thirds of registrations of partnerships have been done by women.
Birth rate declining for a change
From the early 1970s onwards, the birth rate has fluctuated and the latest peak was reached in 2010, when the total fertility rate reached 1.87. By 2013, it had fallen to 1.75. The number of births diminished from 60 980 to 58 000. The birth rate fell in all age groups where most children are born, that is, among people aged 25 to 34. In particular, fewer first children were born than before.
The birth rate has been below the population renewal threshold, which is 2.1 children per woman, ever since 1969.
Women become mothers at an ever later age
As in many other European countries, women become mothers at a later age than before. In 2013, first-time mothers were 28.5 years old, on average. The average age has risen by 1.1 years from 2000. The age of first-time fathers has also risen in step with the age of first-time mothers. The average age of first-time fathers was 30.7 years in 2013.
While in the past, getting married predicted well the birth of the first child, now days these events have become separate from each other. This is illustrated by the fact that women entering into their first marriage are older than women giving birth to their first child - in fact this has been the case since the mid-1990s. In 2013, 56 % of first children were born outside marriage mostly to cohabiting parents. The threshold of 50 % was exceeded in 1997.
See also
External links