LONDON — Marriage certificates in England and Wales have traditionally left space for the names and professions of just one parent: the fathers of the couple tying the knot. That changed on Tuesday, with couples now allowed to add mothers’ names to their official marriage record. Unions will also now be recorded in a single electronic registry instead of in registry books. But the final stages of legislation to include both parents did not come before Parliament until last month, spurred by a larger bill that passed in 2019. The earlier bill included the changeover to an electronic marriage registry and the extension of the right to civil partnerships to all couples.

Source: New York Times May 04, 2021 14:56 UTC