Provisional figures for births, deaths, adoptions, marriages and civil partnerships registered during 2013 have been published by the National Records of Scotland.
The statistics show that there were nearly 3,000 fewer marriages in Scotland in 2013 compared to 2012. The fall of around 10% takes the annual total to just above the level in 2009, which saw the fewest marriages in over a century.
The provisional figures also show that:
A recent study from America has looked at the experiences of couples during retirement and how well prepared they are to handle issues that might arise during this stage of their lives.
The study, which was conducted by Merrill Lynch, found that the vast majority of people age 50+ have not prepared for potential family events and challenges that could affect their retirement.
One event that could take couples by surprise is the issue of boomerang children. The study found one in five parents (19%t) age 50+ have at least one “boomerang” adult child who has moved back in with them.