YOUTH 2020 - The position of young people in Slovenia

250 Figure 7.3: Average age at first marriage, 2010-2019. 2000 2012 2001 2013 2002 2014 2003 2015 2004 2016 2005 2017 2006 2018 2007 2019 2009 2008 2010 2011 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Groom Bride 31.2 32.8 30.7 29.4 26.6 28.6 Source: SURS, 2020. Statistical data also show that in the last two decades the decision to get married has become less common among young people. Although the de- cline in marriage rates and at the same time the rise of cohabitations is a general trend also in the general population, it is especially evident among young people. For example, marriage rates in last 20 years have declined in all age groups by almost half, with the exception of 25-29-year-old women, where the decline is only 13%. This smaller share can be explained mainly by more drastic changes in lower age groups (15-24 years old) and postponement of marriage to later years. It is also important to note that the most evident decline in all age groups was between 2000 and 2005, while in the last 15 years the decline has been much more gradual. Our findings are consistent with general trends that show the typical postponement of marriage or the less frequent decision to get married, while marriage as an institution is losing its importance (Beck and Beck-Ghernsheim, 2002; Furlong, 2013). The decline in importance and number of marriages, along with the higher inclination towards cohabi- tation and LAT relationships, indicate the process of the “deinstitutional- ization of the family”; however, this does not imply the disappearance of the family. Deinstitutionalization of the family creates more freedom of