No longer the marrying kind

Marriage may be the bedrock upon which our society has rested for centuries - but most people now regard the institution as unnatural, outdated and irrelevant.

This is the conclusion of a new study that paints a picture of a cynical modern Britain in which people no longer expect relationships to last, and don't even seem unduly bothered.

And, contrary to expectations, it is women who are leading the new revolution.

While 78 per cent of men believe that having a spouse/life partner is essential to their sense of fulfilment in life, only 55 per cent of women feel the same way.

Experts believe this is because women look to the example of celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Renée Zellweger and Kate Moss - all happily unmarried in their thirties and apparently unconcerned about finding a life partner.

Researchers who questioned 2,000 British adults found that only 42 per cent of us believe monogamy is the natural state for human beings. Even among those who are married, fewer than half agree marriage is a natural state. And promiscuity has become acceptable - 59 per cent of those questioned agreed it was normal to have had more than 10 sexual partners by the age of 30.

"Serial monogamy is the name of the game these days. The idea that marriage can be defined as a relationship with a single sexual partner, till death us do part, is history," said Marian Salzman of advertising agency Euro RSCG, which carried out the study.

"What people seem to want is a fulfilling relationship - with emotional, financial and sexual security - and perhaps a little bit on the side. Until the next one."

She described the implications as "a potential time bomb for our society".

She added: "We will have to reconfigure the story of the ark, in which the animals go in two by two into some kind of square dance. Britain seems to be leading the world in the new forms of relationships.

"It will impact on everything from our individual psychological wellbeing to social policy to patterns of consumption."

Another role model for the single generation is Sharleen Spiteri, singer with the band Texas.

This week she admitted she had no desire to marry her long-term partner Ashley Heath, father of her baby daughter Misty.

"It just seems like such a hassle, all the months of planning and preparation," she said. "I really don't know if I could go through all that."

Researchers also found a serious divide between the sexes on working mothers. Whereas three quarters of British women now agree with Gwyneth Paltrow that a mother's place is in the home, only 48 per cent of men agree.

Ms Salzman said: "Today, women's lib means wanting to be liberated from the intense pressures of the modern-day working mum. These women are becoming a target of disdain - and of rage on the part of spouses who didn't expect to be shouldering the financial burden single-handedly."