Post by CherylPost by charlesPost by JanetPost by Peter T. DanielsPost by LFSPost by Peter T. DanielsOne doesn't often get to celebrate the 65th anniversary of anything
-- sometimes one hears of people married that long -- so I wonder
whether "sapphire" has traditionally been established for 65, like
silver, gold, and diamond?
Or perhaps the designation was invented in honour of the sapphire
jewelry given to the Princess Elizabeth by her father GVIR as a
wedding gift, 70 years ago -- which she wears in the official
Jubilee portrait?
(Information from the BBC World Service this morning)
Well established in the UK. Our local paper quite often carries
reports of couples married that long or longer.
Because it's highly unusual.
Not that unusual in UK, where 16% of marriages reach the 60th wedding
anniversary.
(ONS, 2012)
Post by Peter T. DanielsOr do Brits in general have life expectancies like those of Georgians
in the long-ago Dannon Yogurt commercials?
According to the Office of National Statistics
"The number of people living in the UK aged 100 increased by 73% in
the decade to 2012, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Out
of the 13,350 centenarians living in the UK in 2012, 660 were aged 105
years and older. More than half a million people aged 90 and over were
living in the UK in 2012.
But at the same time, I assume marriage age and divorce rate have both
gone up, too. I remember that in Germany, the age at first marriage has
risen above 30 even for women.
Discussing this with younger daughter who is planning on getting married
again (husband 1 walked out), her conclusion suggests that the costs
involved might have something to do with it. The average UK wedding cost
£14,000 - so you need to save for a long time.
Well, this is something I've seen here, and it puzzles me. If what the
couple want is to be married, the process is quite cheap and simple. If
they want to celebrate the fact that they are married, they can do so on
any financial scale they can afford. But so many tell me that they
"can't afford to get married" when what they appear to mean is that they
can't afford to celebrate their marriage in the style they desire. Some
of them appear puzzled if someone tells them that the party is an
optional part of getting married.
That couple and many others don't see "getting married" as a necessary
or useful formal registration of their "pairing-up".
For many purposes the law in the UK treats a cohabiting couple the same
as a married couple.
By coincidence today's newspapers have reports of a case just decided by
the UK Supreme Court.
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-4203622/Denise-Brewster-wins-Supreme-Court-ruling-claim-pension.html
Unmarried woman wins right to claim her late long-term partner's
pension in landmark case that could affect millions of cohabiting
couples
A woman who was denied payments from her long-term partner’s pension
because they were not married has won a landmark appeal.
Her victory at the Supreme Court could improve the rights of
millions of other cohabitees across the UK.
Denise Brewster, 42, challenged a ruling that she was not
automatically entitled to a ‘survivor’s pension’ as she would have
been, were she married to her partner when he died.
Ms Brewster, a lifeguard from Coleraine, Northern Ireland, and her
partner Lenny McMullan had lived together for ten years and owned
their own home.
They had got engaged just two days before Mr McMullan died.
Five Supreme Court justices unanimously ruled she is entitled to
receive payments under the pension scheme.
Ms Brewster's solicitor, Gareth Mitchell of public law firm Deighton
Pierce Glynn, said the ruling could affect millions of cohabitees.
He said: ‘Denying bereaved cohabitees access to survivor pensions
causes huge distress and financial hardship.
‘Now that around one in six families in the UK are cohabiting
families, reform is long overdue.
‘The decision has significant implications for millions of
cohabitees in relation to pension benefits.
‘It also lays down the approach to be adopted when considering
complaints of discrimination on the grounds of marital status in
other areas.
‘This was a decision of the Supreme Court of the UK and it affects
the whole of the UK.’
--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)