December 17, 2004

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Nordic Marriage

I always cite the decline of marriage in Scandinavia in conversation, so I was glad to see an actual newspaper article on the subject. Check it:

In Norway, half of all children are now born to unmarried mothers. In Pettersen’s county, 82% of couples have their first child out of wedlock. The numbers are similarly high for Sweden and Denmark. While many couples marry after having the first or second child, it’s clear marriage in parts of Scandinavia is dying. […]

In Scandinavia … social trends have been reinforced by policies designed to promote equality for women and further separate the church and state. As a result, the link between marriage and having children has all but disappeared.

I might have some comments later. Short version: Cool!