Humanist marriages are far less likely to end in divorce - so why aren't they available to everyone?

The UK government claims to be in favour of marriage as an institution and seems keen to do what it can to strengthen it. But as new statistics from Scotland reveal that humanist marriages are the type of marriage most likely to survive, why has the government repeatedly stalled on extending legal recognition to such marriages in England and Wales?

A humanist wedding is a non-religious ceremony that is deeply personal and conducted by a humanist celebrant. It differs from a civil wedding in that it is entirely hand-crafted and reflective of the beliefs and values of the couple, conducted by a celebrant who shares their beliefs and values.

Humanist marriages have been legally recognised in Scotland since 2005. They gained recognition after the Scottish Registrar General concluded that refusing to give them recognition, when religious marriages are already recognised, would be a breach of the Human Rights Act. The result since then has been to see them skyrocket in popularity, from a handful a year to our sister charity Humanist Society Scotland now being the biggest provider of marriages in Scotland other than the state itself.

And now, for the first time, statistics from Scotland have shed light on how likely different types of marriage are to result in divorce. Humanist marriages are almost four times less likely to end in divorce than others. They are less than half as likely to as Church of Scotland marriages, three times less likely than Roman Catholic and other religious marriages, and four times less likely than civil marriages to end in divorce. These statistics are particularly striking given that, unlike some religious groups, humanists do not oppose divorce. While we hope every new marriage proves to be a happy one, if a marriage isn’t working then a divorce is the right outcome for that couple.

It’s hard to know for certain what causes the different divorce rates, but perhaps it might speak to the nature of humanist weddings. Such weddings involve a lot more preparation than is otherwise typical. The celebrant gets to know the couple very well over a series of meetings in order to produce a detailed script that is unique to just them and reflects precisely who they are. This process also ensures that the couple really examines the foundations upon which they intend to build their marriage – the values they hold in common, how they can best express those values and how they can involve their friends and family in all of that.

Indeed, upon hearing these new statistics, one of our celebrants said: "I’ve conducted weddings for over 260 couples and I’m still in touch with almost all of them. In eight years, I have only learned of three divorces." What might most surprise people here who are unfamiliar with humanist weddings, is not the divorce rate, but the fact that she is still in touch with almost all her couples.

And yet, such marriages are legally recognised in Scotland and, following a successful human rights case last year, in Northern Ireland. But in England and Wales they are not. There is clear demand – over 1,000 couples have non-legal humanist weddings with Humanists UK celebrants every year. A new poll also out today shows that 68 per cent of the public want to see the law changed to recognise humanist marriages, with just 12 per cent opposed. This support is consistent across religious and non-religious groups.

The UK Government has had the power to bring about legal recognition of humanist marriages for six years now, since the passage of the Same-Sex Marriage Act. But in that time it has persistently refused to enact that recognition. It is past time that it did so.

Andrew Copson is the Chief Executive of Humanists UK.