Family & Life

Marriage and Birth Rates Soared in Ireland During the Boom : 15th Dec 08

Marriage and birth rates in the Republic of Ireland soared during the economic boom, according to a recent study. The Families in Ireland report, by researchers from University College Dublin for the Department of Social and Family Affairs, points to a 40 per cent increase in marriages from 1995 to 2006. It also notes a 46 per cent rise in births over the period, from 48,255 in 1994 to 70,620 in 2007, despite the increased costs of housing and childcare.

Prof Tony Fahey, professor of social policy and head of the school of applied social science at UCD, said the recent increase in births suggested the state of the economy and the labour market may affect childbearing more than does the level of government support. He added that although the three-child family had become rare in parts of Europe, it was still quite common in Ireland.

The surge in marriages over the past decade has been due in part to the growing number of people in the 20to-40 age bracket, he said, but also in part to a rising propensity to marry. Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin stated the report challenged many common myths, e.g., that marriage had gone out of fashion and that cohabitation had replaced it.

F&L Comment: Given the Irish people’s continuing strong belief in the institution of marriage, it’s disturbing that the government seems so intent on undermining it. It has done this systematically through changes to the tax and social welfare system, and now proposes escalating its assault on marriage through legislation that would strip it of most of its few remaining legal advantages. The Irish Times. F&L.

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Family & Life

Marriage and Birth Rates Soared in Ireland During the Boom : 15th Dec 08

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