It pays to have a partner, says think tank

Number of young men marrying has fallen by almost two thirds in last 50 years

Young men living with their partners are substantially better off than their single counterparts according to new analysis.

The “Lost Boys” report published last week by leading think tank, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), painted a grim picture of the plight of Britain’s boys and young men – on virtually every yardstick they are falling further and further behind women.

It revealed that for young people, the gender pay gap has reversed with young women now outearning young men by almost 10 per cent (9 per cent).

However, there is one group of young men that stands apart from the gender pay gap reversal. Young men who are married, partnered or cohabited, where those cohabiting were the vast majority, are significantly better off.

Those in stable relationships like this are the only young men out earning young women. For those in full-time paid employment, in 2022/23 the average married, partnered or cohabiting young man aged 16-24 earned more than women – £27,117.11 versus £26,476.40 respectively.

The positive effect of a relationship becomes even more stark when comparing income to single young men. The average partnered-up young man aged 16-24 earned, on average, nearly £5,000 more than the average single young man aged 16-24 who earned just £22,297.36.

At the same time, this premium is enjoyed by rapidly declining numbers of young men. In the past 50 years, the number of 16-24 men marrying each year has fallen by over 200,000, collapsing from 239,000 men to just 8,000.

Trushar Pandya, Head of Data and Analysis at the Centre for Social Justice, said:

“Marriage and partnership have a clear positive impact on young men.

“Previous CSJ research has consistently shown the mental and social benefits of marriage and stable relationships, now we can see the financial benefit as well.

“Government should be doing all it can to promote healthy relationships like marriage as both a social and an economic good.”