Marriage key foundation for healthy society, says bishop – but is Gen Z listening?

Bishop Bosco MacDonald has reiterated the argument that marriage is a vital building block for a flourishing society.

The comments from the point man for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) on marriage and family come ahead of National Marriage Week, celebrated from 7-14 February. However, the bishop's advice that "we should all be working towards a society that values marriage" is increasingly falling on deaf ears among younger generations.

In December 2024, UK charity Marriage Foundation found that just over half of all Gen Z men and women – 57 per cent of those born in 1997 and afterwards – will ever marry.