March 2017 - Marriage Foundation

Men: The best gift for Mothering Sunday? Be kind to your wife!

(This article was originally published in this week’s Church of England newspaper) Twenty two years ago, I stood on the brink of divorce. My wife Kate and I were good

Mothers happy to do lion’s share of household chores in return for kindness, finds survey

PRESS RELEASE FROM MARRIAGE FOUNDATION AND MARRIAGE WEEK: A new survey of 291 mothers reveals that most mothers still tend to take responsibility for the majority of the childcare

It’s not marriage that’s ‘patriarchal’. It’s cohabitation.

In an article for Metro last month, writer Rebecca Reid expressed horror that her fiancé might have asked her dad’s permission before he married her. The whole idea has “a

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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Men: The best gift for Mothering Sunday? Be kind to your wife!

Mothers happy to do lion’s share of household chores in return for kindness, finds survey

It’s not marriage that’s ‘patriarchal’. It’s cohabitation.

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