Britain | Indecent proposals

The age of marriage is being raised in England and Wales

The move is welcome, but late

IT IS A truth universally acknowledged that when it comes to marriage, Britain is a bit odd. On most matters of sexual mores, it behaves like other northern Europeans, sharing liberal attitudes towards abortion, contraception and same-sex relationships. But on the issue of marital age it is an outlier. Unlike most of its neighbours, who insist that people must be 18 to marry, Britain allows 16-year-olds to wed with parental consent (and in Scotland without it).

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Indecent proposals”

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From the March 5th 2022 edition

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