Data published by Statistics Finland on Tuesday revealed that a record high number of prenuptial agreements were made in Finland last year, despite marriages hitting their second-lowest level for a century.
Nearly 8,800 prenups were agreed in 2022, representing an increase of 46 percent compared to the early 2000s. This upward trend in the popularity of premarital agreements has continued despite the steady drop in the nation's marriage rate. In 2021, for example, fewer than 19,600 couples tied the knot — a record low figure.
Digital and Population Services Agency’s (DVV) prenup expert Tanja Tams said the trend has multiple explanations: people get married later, blended families are more common, and married couples are more likely to get divorced. Tams added that the meaning and purpose of a prenup is better understood than before.
"Having a prenup has become a habit. You don’t really think about having one too much – if friends have one, we will have one," Tams said.
Without penning an agreement before walking up the aisle, a couples’ properties and fortune get added up and split evenly in half in the case of divorce. In addition to the bank account balances, this includes gifts, inheritances and property. In practice, this means that the wealthier partner will end up paying something to their ex.
Tams recommended that couples pay close attention to the type of prenup they’re drafting. Getting a lawyer involved is not a necessity, although it should not be dismissed, as some couples fail to legally register their prenup contracts because of formatting issues.
The increased popularity of prenups indicates a cultural shift, Tams noted. While in the past all property in a marriage was seen as shared and couples didn’t want to think about the possibility of a divorce, couples today see it as a way to separate the romantic and financial sides of marriage.
"It almost lowered the threshold to get married, as the prenup separates our finances from it. That way, getting married is a pure indication of wanting to be with each other," Salha Hanna told Yle, adding that she didn’t have to justify signing a prenup to her family.
"I had to explain the reasoning to get married in the first place more," she said.
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