Increase in the age of marriage

[MzMarple]

www.gov.uk/government/news/implementation-of-the-marriage-and-civil-partnership-minimum-age-act-2022

Just seen this. From February the age of marriage in England and Wales will change from 16 to 18.

Will Gretna Green return to young couples jumping the boarder to get married?

Thank god for that.
Surely it's mostly to prevent 16 yr olds with not voice being dragged to a registry office.

@frozendaisy yeah it is. But will it just push more people to Gretna?

No, you still need to give three week's notice. You can't just rock up.

@SuperSange they could give notice and then rock up

it will be interesting to see if marriages at Gretna increase.

i think it's more aimed at targeting the families who are still doing arranged marriages/forced marriages so these aren't the sort of couples who traditionally needed to elope!

Sounds like a good plan to me!

This sounds good I think. I'm surprised that it's the first I've heard about it.

I doubt we will see an influx of love struck 16 year olds in gretna getting married. Not many under 18s want to get married nowadays. Like a pp said, it's mainly to stop 16 year olds being pressurised into arranged marriages.

Sounds like a good thing, now the stigma of pregnancy outside of marriage has gone there doesn't feel like any good reason to keep child marriage as an option.

I just seen it mentioned on another thread today so looked it up. I definitely think it's a good thing and I really hope it helps with reducing forced marriage.

To be honest I quickly read it and didn't think about the stigma of having a baby outside of marriage and the younger generations not so much into getting married. Interesting valid points.

Good. My Nan got forced to marry at 16 because she was pregnant and she said she couldn't stop crying the whole day and her dad basically dragged her down the aisle

Thank god for that. 16 is totally ridiculous and scarily young.

We also have more support for single mothers now. One of my great aunts married at 16 and could have been pressured into giving up her baby if she hadn't.

@PowerhouseOfTheCell that's so sad, your poor nan. When you look back it's really sad to think how people had to live/do things all based on what society expected.

@qpmz don't want to de rail this thread but at 16. I had my first flat and was on benefits. At the time I thought, I was old enough but looking back. 16 is still a child so young.

@Athenen0ctua the fact woman were forced to give up there babies is beyond heartbreaking and barbaric.

I agree, which is why I'm glad my great aunt had the opportunity of marriage given the alternative. I do think the option to marry at 16 was necessary once, given the stigma of single motherhood even with a supportive family.

Good. Children have no business getting married. It will help to prevent horrible situations where youngsters are married off far too early.

It's also highly likely to affect travellers and Roma who marry very young (16-20ish).

Very few under 18's marry without family pressure. Even in communities that practice early marriage, 18+ is more common now. It's to try to prevent forged marriages. Unfortunately the likely outcome is more unregistered marriages (where there is a religious ceremony but no legalities meaning the woman has no protection)

Do people really get married at 16 nowadays? Genuine question.

Good, I can't imagine why it was ever 16 (except to deal with otherwise illegitimate children, as many 16 year olds have always been sexually active).

I really don't think your average British 16 year old is going to be rushing off to Gretna, OP 😂 And anything that makes arranged marriages of children more difficult is a good thing. I was most definitely not mature enough to be living on my own at 16, though I suppose I would have coped(ish) if I'd had to. I'm sorry you were in that situation.

I was watching an old episode of Gypsy Weddings today and two of the sixteen year olds said that after they got married and left their families they cried every day for months

I have always assumed it was 16 because that was the age of consent. Otherwise it would you would look like you were actively encouraging condoning sex outside marriage.

I assume that few people will care about that these days, but it's not that long ago since they did.

Yes I thought this too...that "morally" the age of consent and the age at which you can marry should be the same...not my view by the way but I thought that was the reason

I got married at 16 - 25 years ago next month actually.
I was not pressured- far from it. My dad begged me not to.
I was already a mother though.
I understand I'm the minority- still happy, gone on to get a degree and have a professional career.
I do wonder about the Gypsy/ Roma people though.
Forced marriage must be horrific but then again I'm glad I could marry and if I had my time again I still would.