Civil partnerships fall in Sunderland
A change in the law around civil partnerships saw them extended to opposite-sex couples from December 2019.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures shows three opposite-sex couples in the city formed civil partnerships in 2021, alongside five in 2020.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPreviously, only same-sex couples could enter into civil partnerships.
The data also shows the popularity of same-sex civil partnerships in England and Wales has plummeted since the first legalised gay marriages took place in 2014.
In 2021, just 1,039 took place – down significantly from 14,900 in 2006, the first full year in which same-sex couples could form a civil partnership.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIn Sunderland, no same-sex partnerships were formed last year – down from 14 in 2008, when comparable local records first began.
Rich Pereira, deputy director of demography at the ONS, said: "In 2021, the majority of civil partnerships continued to be between opposite-sex couples, following their introduction in late 2019.
"Current data show the age distribution of people forming opposite-sex civil partnerships is older than those forming same-sex civil partnerships.
"Those forming opposite-sex civil partnerships are more likely to have been previously married or civil partnered than those forming same-sex civil partnerships."
He added that the difference may partly reflect opposite-sex couples in long-standing relationships preferring to legally register their union rather than get married.