12 September 2007

Canberra couples more likely to live in sin

| GnT
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The ABS has released more census data, and in Canberra in the last 10 years the number of de facto couples is up 3%, while the number of married couples is down 3%, suggesting a trend away from legal marriage. Also, despite the baby boom, the number of childless families is down 6%, while the average family size has dropped from 3.1 kids to 2.9.

These figures reflect a national trend, although I think the trend is stronger in the ACT. Any insight into why the stats are moving in this direction?

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Marriage doesn’t mean much to me personally (probably because I was raised in a broken family environment) but I am getting married. If you love someone, what difference does it make either way? So the way I see it, you may as well give your partner the option and ask her (assuming you are happy with your current relationship that is). What is wrong with throwing a party for your friends and family, to tell the world at large that you love your partner?

Also, we have found it keeps the grandparents extremely happy….and then there the plethora of gifts to consider….

Absent Diane11:58 am 14 Sep 07

there was a point??? maybe i could see it if I could just pull my tongue out of my cheek long enough.

From experience the people who spout on about being the most intelligent are generally the ones who are missing the point.

On the whole house deposit or marriage, many couples I know are looking for the house deposit first before the costly party.

Absent Diane9:19 am 14 Sep 07

my intelligence and my ability at most things does that for me.

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt9:07 am 14 Sep 07

It certainly makes ME feel superior. Although lots of things do that!

heh – marriage seems to make some here feel superior anyway.

Absent Diane1:26 pm 13 Sep 07

lol @ not truely in love!! you romantic

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt1:18 pm 13 Sep 07

Sh*t – I almost forgot!

I only believe in gay marriage when both chicks are hot.

Indeed – wedding, or house deposit?

Got a mortgage
Getting Married

Parents paying for reception – we paying for Las Vegas and Honolulu.

We are by no means rich – very much middle class – so it can all be done.

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt11:41 am 13 Sep 07

People who don’t get married are not truly in love.

Absent Diane10:49 am 13 Sep 07

chose = choose

Absent Diane10:48 am 13 Sep 07

thumper you are dead right. It just sh*ts me when people make presumptions about people who chose not to get married.

It shouldn’t matter if you get married or not, if your relationship is strong enough it will last regardless of wether you have a ring on your finger or not. Some people get married because they want to spend the rest of their life with someone, you can do that without getting married too.

Hey, i’m all for marriage, I think its cute (mostly because i’m not getting married in the next 5 years).

And I agree with Special G, haha.

Absent Diane8:58 am 13 Sep 07

But can someone please tell me the actual point of it -do not give me some lala love based garbage. We all know that love is a chemical reaction, i just really can’t stand all this airy fairy rubbish that we put so much emphasis on.

Until you can give it an actual point or reason – i will not give your opinions the light of day – because they are worthless.

Dante, Your girlfriend tells you she has no plans on getting married. Haven’t you worked it out that what girls tell you and what they really mean can be totally different things. She probably has the whole thing planned with horse drawn carriages and releasing 100 white doves and the like.

Ingeegoodbee8:26 pm 12 Sep 07

While I respect AD’s rather quaint and outdated 1960s views on relationships (possibly repackaged to look cool for Gen Y’s but essentialy the same hippy shit that led the world to mistakes like flared jeans, ugg boots and the lumber jacket) I wil say that marriage is still great fun – whilst you can live in a la-la dreamworld of self-important denial, nothing says “I love you” like a marriage. Regardless of what anyone will say to try and prop up their sham relationships, its a fact that anything less than marriage is essentailly saying ‘you’ll do until I find somthing better’ end of story.

Diane,

I don’t think its a matter of the relationship being so weak that it needs a reminder, I think that it shows they are comitted to the relationship. This isn’t the meaning for everyone though and I can see your point of view. I have had friends marry in a desperate attempt to save a failing relationship. Marrying for those reasons isn’t ever going to work out.

Absent Diane4:31 pm 12 Sep 07

i don’t begrudge anyone from getting married. It just seems pointless to me. If your relationship with someone is so weak that you need a symbol to remind you – isn’t there something then inherently wrong with the relationship? Also to me the symbolism infers some kind of ownership. Although I would love to own everyone – i don’t particularly want to kill the free spirit of someone I am coupled with.

Personally I don’t romanticise a lot of the silly things that most people do.. i look at life in a more logical way – it makes it far more interesting.

Each to their own really but I will forever stand by my stance that it is pointless.

I also have a profound love of the letter I in reference to myself. Makes sense when you are your own favourite subject.

I dunno.. maybe it’s selfish because it doesn’t consider our creator’s wishes enough *end sarcasm*.

My girlfriend and I have lived together for 2 1/2 years, have no plans on ending our relationship, but also have NO plans to get married any time soon.

We have all of the rights of a married couple as a defacto couple and we don’t see the point in holding an elaborate ceremony to tell everyone that we love each other… we do that all the time as it is.

I also believe that marriage is a outdated edict of the church, and as I am not a participant in a church I have no plans to follow said edict any time soon.

how can you jsutify point 1 in your arguement absent diane, It may not have meaning for you but i’d wager that the symbolism of commitment that getting married entails makes it far from pointless.

Anyway, think of all the wedding presents you would forgoe by not getting married.

Absent Diane4:04 pm 12 Sep 07

how is not getting married selfish?i don’t see the logic?

Nice gereralisation there Barney. I have been with my partner for longer than most people are married, and in my opinion its better to test the water and see how things work out than be some bogan who rushes into a marriage and pisses it all up the wall. I don’t see a problem in being cautious. Getting married should be an important decision, not something you do spontaneously.

It does seem to be true that a lot of couples are not marrying. I think people in Canberra are more interested in themselves. It’s the “What’s good for me” syndrome. Just selfishness really.

I could be wrong.

Absent Diane3:03 pm 12 Sep 07

1) Marriage is pointless
2) Given that no one knows if a relationship will last; what is the point?
3) The stigma of marriage puts way to much pressure on a relationship – why not just let it run free
4) The ideals of marriage are based on idealogies which are slowly becoming redundant.

In my case, my girlfreind and I were living in Orange, NSW and she got a job offer in Canberra and so we decided to move. Better money and better job opportunities in my field (IT). I think we are more inclined to save money and go overseas or buy a unit than spend it all on a big wedding.

Indeed – wedding, or house deposit?

My theory :ACT residents have to work longer to afford high rents and property and as a result have less time for relationships and families

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