Marriage and Divorce
Since 1950, the number of people getting married in Australia has been steadily decreasing. Dr Raymond explained that this was because of a change in attitudes towards marriage. "It is much more socially acceptable for people to live together before they get married. Many people don't feel that they have to get married at all, so they live in de facto relationships," she said. Dr Raymond said the same trend was occurring in many other Western countries, such as Britain and the United States.

Not only are fewer of us getting married, but we are also marrying at a much later age. In 1950 the average age of the bride at her wedding was 23, and the groom 26. By 1999 this had increased to 28 for the bride and 30 for the groom. This may be because young people are staying in education longer and living in de facto relationships. This trend will probably continue into the future in Australia and other countries also.

Since 1950, there has been a slow and steady rise in the number of people getting a divorce around the world. Currently, 43% of all marriages in Australia end in divorce. Dr Raymond explains this: "The increase in the divorce rate has resulted from changes in the law which make it easier for people to get a divorce. I don't think this is necessarily bad. I don't think people should be made to stay in a bad relationship, especially when they have children."

Children
In 1950 women in Australia were having on average 3.6 children, whereas now the average is 1.76. This may be because of the increasing number of women working and studying. Society's attitudes towards family size are changing in many countries. Women are also starting to have children at a later age. In Australia, the average age when women have their first child has increased from 24.6 in 1950 to the present average of 29.5 years. There has been a fall in the number of babies born to teenage mothers but an increase in the number of babies born to women who are older than 40. Many modern couples are choosing not to have children at all, and there has also been a dramatic rise in the number of one-parent families.