Stigma banished as majority of babies are born to unwed couples

MORE than half the babies born in Scotland were born to unmarried parents last year, figures revealed yesterday.

It is the first time more children have been born out of wedlock than within a marriage.

Statistics on the number of births, deaths and marriages in 2008 showed the number of couples tying the knot reached its lowest level since Victorian times.

The provisional figures from the General Register Office for Scotland showed there were 60,041 babies born last year.

Of those 30,055 – 50.1 per cent of all live births – were to unmarried parents.

That compares with 24.5 per cent of babies being born to unmarried parents in 1988 and just 9.8 per cent in 1978.

Births in Scotland also rose for the sixth year in a row, bringing the total number of babies born to the highest figure since 1995.

The Registrar General for Scotland, Duncan Macniven, said: "There were 2,260 more births in 2008 than in 2007. The 60,041 total for the year was the highest since 1995. This is the sixth annual increase in a row."

He added: "The proportion of births to unmarried parents has been rising steadily for several years and in 2008 topped 50 per cent for the first time in a whole year.

"The proportion varies greatly across the country and in some areas has been above 50 per cent for several years."

The number of marriages that took place in Scotland fell to 28,903 in 2008 – down by almost 1,000 on the previous year's total of 29,866.

The number of couples getting married was also the lowest since the period 1891 to 1895.

The number of couples who divorced in 2008 also fell, going from 12,773 in 2007 to 9,333 last year – a drop of more than a quarter.

But Mr Macniven said that was because of a change in the law in 2006, which reduced the separation period for couples who are divorcing.

This led to an increase in the number of divorces in 2006, with the number dropping after then.

Mr Macniven said the average number of divorces over 2006 to 2008 was about 11,700 a year, which was "similar to the levels before the law was changed".

The number of deaths fell slightly, going from 55,986 in 2007 to 55,699 in 2008.

Mr Macniven said: "Cancer, which accounted for over a quarter of deaths, coronary heart disease, respiratory system diseases and strokes remain the biggest causes of death.

"The number of deaths from cancer fell slightly and coronary heart disease killed 532 fewer people – over 5 per cent down on 2007."

But he added that deaths from respiratory diseases and strokes had risen slightly.

The Conservatives voiced concern at the figures on marriage and childbirth.

Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Tory leader, said a strong family unit was key to fixing "our broken society", although that could take many forms.

"But it is the strength of the family which is common to all these forms," Ms Goldie said.

"My concern about these statistics is that research in the last decade indicated that unmarried couples are more likely to split up than married couples.

"Such figures do not augur well for that stability."

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'Child is a greater sign of commitment than a wedding ring'

FOR photographer Susan Burrell, having a child was a greater sign of commitment to her partner than exchanging rings.

Susan, 34, gave birth to her son Archie 14 months ago and is planning a wedding with her partner Neil Wright, 37, in July.

"We had been trying for a baby for two and a half years so we were really pleased when we found out I was pregnant," she said.

"At the time it occurred to me that this was actually a much greater sign of our commitment to one another than getting married.

"You can easily get out of a marriage these days, but a child is something you both have a responsibility to for life."

Miss Burrell, from Edinburgh, added that she believes that the old stigma about having children out of wedlock is largely a thing of the past.

The greatest problem she had with her parents was that they had moved abroad a few months before she discovered she was pregnant and found themselves a long way from their daughter and first grandchild.

"Both sets of parents were delighted," she said. "Not least because for both sets it was their first grandchild. There was a little nervousness that we weren't married, but they accepted it.

"Times have changed, the old stigmas have mostly gone and although we are getting married now, it was not as important as having Archie."