Reasons for changing patterns of marriage - Many of these reasons for a fall in he number of marriages are similar to the reasons for the increase in divorce they include, Changing attitudes to marriage, Secularisation, Declining stigma attached to alternatives to marriage, changes in the position of women, fear of divorce. Reasons for other changes of marriage include remarriages the main reason for the increase in remarriages is the rise in divorce. Age on marrying, the age at which couples marry is rising because young people spend longer in education and focussing on careers. Church weddings, Couples nowadays are less likely to marry in a church is because of Secularisation and many churches refuse to marry divocees.