In France—often romanticized as the land of love—marriage has become an outlier. Just 3% of couples marry, while 97% opt for cohabitation. From the President to celebrities and ordinary citizens, nearly all avoid formal unions. The few who do marry are predominantly over 60, as older women are “less likely to leave and feel resigned to stability.”
📉 Why Marriage Lost Its Appeal
- Shifted Priorities
- Younger generations view marriage not as romance’s destination, but a high-stakes legal contract requiring deliberation.
- Cohabitation offers freedom + avoids divorce complexities.
- Legal Parity
- France’s Pacte Civil de Solidarité (PACS) grants couples:
- Joint tax filing
- Child custody rights
- Inheritance claims
- Marriage’s “exclusive benefits” have largely vanished.
- France’s Pacte Civil de Solidarité (PACS) grants couples:
- Philosophical Change
- “Love needs no legal shackles.”
- Couples replace vows with mutual understanding, rules with flexible agreements.
👵 Why Seniors Buck the Trend
For those over 60, marriage serves pragmatic needs:
- Legal security for health crises/end-of-life decisions
- Combating loneliness in later years
- Protecting assets without passion’s “heart-pounding excitement”
🌍 The Bigger Picture
This reflects France’s:
- Cultural liberalization: Rejecting mandatory life scripts
- Legal evolution: PACS (since 1999) enabled rights without marriage
- Value shift: Prioritizing authentic partnership over societal expectations
“Happiness has many faces,” the French remind us. For them, commitment thrives not in ceremony, but in freely chosen bonds built on trust.