3310.0 - Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2009

Quality Declaration

ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 03/12/2010

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Contents >> Marriages >> Couples living together prior to marriage

COUPLES LIVING TOGETHER PRIOR TO MARRIAGE

The majority of couples registering their marriage in 2009 lived together before marriage (77.4%). Although the number of marriages between couples who previously lived together has increased overall since 2008, 2009 was the first year since data was first collected in 1997 that a decrease occurred in the proportion of marriages between couples who previously lived together. This follows a larger than usual increase in the proportion from 2007 to 2008.

1.11 Proportion of couples living together prior to marriage, Australia, 2004-2009
Graph: 1.11 Proportion of couples living together prior to marriage, Australia, 2004–2009

Graph: 1.11 Proportion of couples living together prior to marriage, Australia, 2004–2009

Couples who lived together prior to their marriage tended to be slightly older than those people who had not lived together prior to marriage. In 2009, the median age of males who lived with their wife before marriage was 31.9 years, compared with 31.5 years for all males who married in 2009. Similarly, the median age of females who lived with their husbands before getting married was 29.6 years, compared with 29.2 years for all females who married in 2009.