not given up on the idea of marriage. When Australians aged 15 to 29 were asked by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) whether "marriage is an outdated institution", 73 per cent disagreed. When it comes to pre-marital hijinks, eight out of 10 men shack up with their partners before they marry, says the ABS. Grooms are getting older, too, but most are in their 20s when they first marry. In 1988, the typical groom was 27 years and nine months. By 2007, according to the ABS, he was 29 years and seven months old. Most Australians are supportive of gay marriage, too, with a recent poll finding 53 per cent of men in favour, compared to a more accepting 68 per cent of women.