Slip Sliding.
“Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that UK civil partnerships among same-sex couples fell by 46 per cent in 2007 to 8,728. This compares with 16,106 marriage in 2006, the first full year in which civil partnerships could be formed. In England and Wales, civil partnerships fell by 47 per cent in 2007 to 7,929. The figure in Scotland fell by 34 per cent in the same period to 688, and by 4 per cent in Northern Ireland, to 111.” [Telegraph]
My guess is that once the novelty of the situation wore off, people were satisfied in just knowing that they had an option to marry + there was no real rush to do the deed.
That and the fact that we’re all still looking for that Mr. (or Mrs., for my lady-loving friends) Right. Of course, if these are just civil unions (+ not full-on marriages) people might just be getting fed-up with these lesser alternatives to marriage.
Well, also, in 2006 there were a lot of people ready for a civil union that had been ready for many, many years, who would have done it in 2005 or 2000 or 1995 if it had been possible. Once the backlog was done, the new ones are the ones who happen to be ready that particular year.
There were people waiting for YEARS to get married, they have now done so and the numbers will fall then level off. Its the same reason movies make so much money on their first weekend.
Actually Civil Partnerhips in the UK are marriage but by a different name. Almost everything that comes with marriage comes with Civil Partnerships. Equal but different.
Almost everything that comes with marriage?
Hmm. Admittedly, I didn’t really research all of the benefits of same-sex marriage in the UK. I had no idea that it was “equal but different”.