Marriage and family
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Marriage and family
Marriage and family
- Thirty per cent of couples who live together are cohabitants. Seventy per cent of couples who live together are married.
- The average age at first marriage is between 30 and 40 years for both men and women.
- Every year, just over fifty thousand children are born in Norway.
- On average, women in Norway have around 1.4 children each (2023).
Source: Statistics Norway
Different types of families
Most people are part of a family. Some live with other family members, while others live alone. People who live alone often have a family, but their family may live in another house, in a different city or in a different country.
A household consists of people who live in the same home and have joint finances. It can consist of one or more persons. On average, just over two people live in a household in Norway today.
A few examples of different kinds of households in Norway follow below:
Marriage
Every year, approx. 20,000 couples marry in Norway. To get married, you have to be over 18 and do so voluntarily. Two people of the same sex have been entitled to get married in Norway since 2009. When you get married, you are obliged to provide for each other. Spouses who take out a loan are both liable for the loan. They jointly own the things they buy. This applies even if only one spouse works outside the home. Parents of children born after 1 January 2020 have joint parental responsibility. This applies to parents who are married, parents who cohabit and parents who do not cohabit.
Approx. 40 per cent of couples who get married, will probably subsequently divorce. Both men and women can initiate a divorce. The main rule is that you have to have been separated for one year before you can initiate a divorce. If the marriage was obtained by force, or violence was perpetrated in the marriage, a divorce can be granted at once.
Approx. 75 per cent of all children live with both their mother and father. After a divorce, both the mother and father have the right and duty to care for the child.
Many people choose to live together for a while without being married. Cohabitants do not automatically have the same financial or legal rights and duties towards one another. Many people therefore go to a lawyer to write agreements about inheritance or the division of assets in the event of the breakdown of cohabitation.
Talk together
- What is a family?
- Talk about different ways of living together.
- Talk about the size of households in Norway and in your home country. What does this tell you about different societies? What consequences does it have for people’s social and financial life?
- Discuss how parents who divorce can best look after their children.
- Talk about why many people choose to cohabit rather than get married.
Anna and Morten are married and have two young children. The children go to kindergarten, and both Anna and Morten have full-time jobs. They have just bought a house near Anna’s parents. The house was expensive, so they have a big mortgage They both have student loans and a car loan too. They are exhausted. They often argue about who should do the housework, and about how they are going to make ends meet. During a big argument, Anna blurts out: ‘I can’t stand this anymore. I want a divorce!’
- Talk together about Anna and Morten’s situation. What can they do to make daily life easier?
- What will the consequences be for the family if Anna and Morten decide to get a divorce?
Select the right answer
What is a household?
Select the right answer
How many people live in an average Norwegian household?
Select the right answer
Who has parental responsibility when a married couple has children?
Select right or wrong
Read the statements. What is right? What is wrong?
Select right or wrong
Read the statements. What is right? What is wrong?