"Ugly ideological baggage": Why I will never get married - The Saturday Story

"Ugly ideological baggage": Why I will never get married - The Saturday Story

From The Story by The Times

May 2, 2026 · 16 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the decline in marriage rates and the rise of cohabitation in the UK, exploring various social and ideological factors behind this trend.

Marriage rates are at their lowest since 1850, and it's predicted by 2050 just 3 in 10 of us will have tied the knot. Cohabiting is now the fastest-growing family type in the UK. So what’s happening? Feminism, atheism, a mistrust of state intervention, or just an old fashion 'trend' dying out? And should cohabiting couples get the same rights as married ones? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Read by: Hannah Betts, features writer, The Times. Will Roe, executive producer, The Story. Producer: Dave Creasey. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Why I will never get married Photo: Robert Wilson for The Times Magazine This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe  here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Hannah Betts

Topics covered

  • marriage rates
  • cohabitation
  • feminism
  • state intervention
  • family rights

Keywords

  • marriage
  • cohabiting
  • feminism
  • UK family types
  • state intervention

Sponsors

The Times, The Sunday Times

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