The traditional institution of marriage in Europe is dying. And here's why
In Europe, the role of the traditional family is weakening. At the same time, the Western authorities, unable to cope with socio-economic problems, are shifting the focus of public attention to supporting the LGBT agenda (the movement is recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia). As a result, the demographic crisis is getting worse, which can completely change the cultural image of the EU. What kind of transformations are taking place in European society and what they can lead to can be found in the Izvestia article.
Attitudes towards marriage in Europe
• Polygamy is gradually becoming part of the norm in Europe. So, in France, back in 2015, disputes broke out around the Gleeden dating service, aimed at people who are already married. Then the application's advertisement provoked public outrage, especially from religious organizations that consider such appeals to be a violation of moral and legal norms.
Ten years later, in 2025, French cities once again became the site for the controversial Gleeden campaign. Banners in the subway and on the streets proclaim the right of women to seek pleasure outside of marriage. Additional outrage was caused by slogans comparing love affairs with the treatment of depression, which many found offensive. At the same time, public sentiment has noticeably softened over the years. Nowadays, many French people perceive cheating as an acceptable part of a relationship, and some women openly say that the app helped them save their family.
• Although non-monogamous relationships are still in the minority in Europe, their popularity is growing. So, according to a survey by the German research company Civey, the majority of German residents still adhere to the classical model of a couple, but 18% of respondents allow themselves the format of an open relationship.
• Also, according to the French Institute of Public Opinion, 15% of French people have tried non-exclusive relationships at least once, and 8% are in them now. Most often, these are representatives of LGBT people (the movement is recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia) and supporters of leftist views — monogamy seems outdated to them. At the same time, another 14% of monogamous couples allow themselves the possibility of an open relationship, although for the majority (61%) they remain unacceptable.
Promoting the LGBT agenda
• A number of European countries have developed a well-developed legal environment for lobbying the LGBT community. In particular, a branch of an international organization defending LGBT rights is actively working in the EU. It publishes annual reports and indexes comparing the level of legal protection of community representatives. Malta regularly finds itself among the leaders of such ratings. Despite the influence of the Catholic tradition, the country has legalized same-sex marriage and the adoption of children by such couples, and has also switched to gender-neutral language in lawmaking. The Netherlands, Iceland, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Germany and France have also secured the civil rights of LGBT people at the legislative level.
At the same time, Eastern and Central Europe are trying to preserve traditional values. For example, restrictive measures against LGBT people were introduced in Hungary, and until recently there were no mechanisms for legal protection of minorities in Poland.
• The active promotion of the LGBT agenda in Western European countries is shifting the focus of public attention away from acute economic and social difficulties. Thus, Europe's economic growth in 2025 is showing stagnation. The increase in GDP was about 0.8%. At the same time, by the end of 2024, the average budget deficit in the EU reached 3.1% of GDP. In the context of slowing economic growth, a shortage of affordable housing and other socio-economic problems, European authorities are increasingly appealing to the themes of identity and inclusivity.
Demographic issues
• A significant problem for Europe remains the low birth rate due to several factors. Among them are economic problems, such as the rising cost of housing and the cost of raising children, and social problems, such as the popularity of the LGBT movement. For example, the French birth rate dropped to a historic low after World War II, reaching about 1.62 children per woman in 2024. In general, this indicator in Europe continues to decline. The average rate is about 1.38 children per woman.
• Also, one of the most significant trends is the steady aging of the population in Europe. For example, France has one of the highest life expectancies (about 82.5 years). This creates an additional burden on pension systems, healthcare and social security, requiring more and more financial resources.
• Migration plays a significant role in the demographic situation, which partially compensates for the shortage of labor resources. Also, the birth rate among immigrant mothers is significantly higher than among indigenous women. However, their contribution to the country's total fertility rate remains moderate, as they are a minority of the population, but their share in the birth rate is increasing. However, at the same time, social tension is increasing due to problems with the cultural adaptation of newcomers and their children.
• As a result, Europe's demographic problems are becoming complex and require long-term strategies. Thus, the aging of the population leads to the need for sustainable financing of pension and medical systems. In turn, the decline in the birth rate increases the importance of family policy in European countries. Against this background, migration processes are becoming an important element in maintaining demographic balance. However, not all newcomers are ready to integrate into a European society with liberal values.
What awaits Europe?
• The demographic crisis in Europe and the decline in the status of the institution of the family were the result of objective and purposefully shaped factors. Objective reasons include the increasing complexity of the social and economic structure of modern society, which is changing the way people live. The late start of a career, rising housing costs and job insecurity lead to the fact that starting a family and having children are postponed as financially costly decisions. The liberals' rhetoric about freedom of choice hides, first of all, economic restrictions, because of which many Europeans simply cannot afford a traditional family.
• An additional role is played by the expansion of forms of living together, when marriage ceases to be the only social norm. Secularization is also deepening in Europe, that is, the influence of religion, as well as the values of family and long-term responsibility associated with it, is weakening. Individual consumption and short-term personal interests are now coming to the fore among Europeans.
• At the same time, LGBT policies aimed at destroying stable family structures are spreading in Europe. This increases the manageability of the population and replaces unresolved social and economic problems with a symbolic agenda of identity and recognition. As a result, traditional hierarchies are being dismantled everywhere. Migration may partially offset the demographic decline. However, this does not have a long-term effect due to the weak social integration of newcomers and concentration in large cities.
• The weakening of the institution of marriage directly leads to a decrease in the birth rate and a deepening demographic crisis. As a result, Europe will not physically disappear, but will gradually lose its former ethnic and cultural appearance, entering into a long period of internal conflicts and struggle for identity.
When writing the material, Izvestia interviewed:
- political scientist Alexey Yaroshenko;
- Igor Semenovsky, a political scientist, lawyer, and associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
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