February 2017 - Marriage Foundation

Should you stay together in an unhappy marriage?

After eight years of marriage, Harry and Kate Benson stood on the brink of divorce. They had done the classic thing of growing apart. What Mums Want (And Dads Need To

For better, for worse: staying in an unhappy marriage could be the best thing you do

With rates of family breakdown at an all-time high in the UK, new research shows unhappiness in a marriage is often just a short-term and fixable problem New Marriage Foundation

UK families among most unstable in the developed world

The United Kingdom has among the highest rates of family instability in the developed world, a study by an international group of academics has found. Three in five (62 per

What Mums Want (And Dads Need To Know)

Marriage Week runs from 7-14 February. Here our Research Director Harry Benson tells the story of how his marriage went badly wrong, and what happened to turn it around. What

Family breakdown costs £50bn a year

Family breakdown costs the UK an estimated £50 billion every year — most of which is spent supporting families who move from one to two households when relationships end. Beyond the financial cost, the social and emotional toll on children can be lifelong.

UK Among highest family breakdown in Europe

The UK continues to experience some of the highest levels of family breakdown in Europe. While divorce rates have declined, this improvement has not been matched among cohabiting couples, who remain significantly more likely to separate.

Lower Divorce Rates – Higher Lone Parents

Divorce rates have fallen dramatically over the past three decades. Yet over the same period, the number of lone-parent families has doubled — because couples who live together without marrying or forming a civil partnership are three times more likely to separate than those who do.

Formal commitment is strongly associated with family stability

Stability remains the norm when parents are married or in a civil partnership — around

75% stay together as their children grow up, compared with 30% of cohabiting parents. The act of formal commitment changes how couples think and behave about their relationship, creating a foundation that is more likely to endure.

The parents’ relationship plays a vital role in children’s development

The single most important factor in a child’s healthy development is the stability of their parents’ relationship. Our research consistently shows that family breakdown is the strongest predictor of teenage mental health problems — and that formal commitment through marriage or civil partnership offers the best protection against this instability.

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Should you stay together in an unhappy marriage?

For better, for worse: staying in an unhappy marriage could be the best thing you do

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UK families among most unstable in the developed world

What Mums Want (And Dads Need To Know)

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