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NEARLY a third of British women regard marriage as "no longer relevant" in a modern society, according to research released today.
Whirlwind romances also get the thumbs down, with 71 per cent saying couples marry in haste without thinking things through carefully enough.
The research into women's changing attitudes to relationships, work and family lives, found older women were more cynical about the idea of wedded bliss.
Asked about the 31 per cent of women rejecting marriage, Dr Linda Papadopoulos, a psychologist, said: "This shift in attitude may be a testament to the fact women feel liberated enough, sexually and socially, to not have to walk down the aisle, or it could be that today's cynical attitude to almost everything has minimised the marriage to an outdated, over-romanticised practice."
The research team interviewed 2,134 women aged over 18 last month. In terms of careers, they worried most about their salary (46 per cent), pension (32 per cent) and spending too much time in the office (29 per cent). However, more than one in ten said they would be unlikely to quit their jobs to look after children, even if they did not need the money.
Dr Papadopoulos said the survey also showed women were worried about their fertility. "It can be presumed the need to prove themselves in the workplace is making women put off childbirth until later in life," she said.
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