28 Apr 2011

Economist's Royal Wedding Chart of the Day shows how Kate and Will indicative of wider trends in Britain

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Kate is 29, Will is 28, which makes her bang in line with the average age of a first-time British bride and him two-and-a-bit years younger than first-time grooms. Since I got married in 1989, the average age of first-time grooms has shot up by just over five years, slightly less for first-time brides. That's a huge jump and the Economist cites social and economic changes like the sexual revolution and the changing role of women in the workplace as principle causes. But a similar jump has happened in life expectancy over the same period and I wonder whether this might also be a factor -- why rush into marriage if you've got more time to play with?