A report recently showed that last year as many as 37% of children were born out of wedlock, with the figure constantly rising. Back before the 1989 Velvet Revolution, the figure was just 7%, with the same phenomenon noted throughout the EU.
The waning number of marriages can be put down to the changing lifestyle of people and their perception of marriage in general in relationships. The trend is much stronger in more developed countries of Europe, especially in the north, while people in countries like Slovakia are only now starting to embrace the option, which is now more socially accepted than before. The figure is probably boosted by the rising number of divorces, which can also impact the next generation’s view of marriage.
Marriages that do breakdown now are at least lasting longer than those before. While in 1989 divorces came just past the 10-yr mark, the average length before divorce is now just over 15 years, while couples who make it to 20 years usually stay together.
A population census from 2011 shows that the percentage of people getting divorced had reached the level of 7.6%, a fair bit higher than the last official census in 2001, when 4.3% of people got divorced. The growth has been steady, with the official figures from just twenty years ago working out at 2.8%, meaning almost three times as many people now divorce than then.