Home » Blog » Page 14

Our Blog

Lots of interesting articles by our team about marriage and commitment, family policy, our research findings and other marriage-related stuff

A simple policy on marriage for Mrs May

Government policy on marriage is lukewarm at best and downright ambivalent at worst. On the one hand, the state is terribly interested in marriage. We have strict

June 5, 2018 3 Comments

Cheap sex, so why should men marry?

There’s a deep irony about the subject of marriage and men. On the one hand, marriage appears to benefit men more than women. Men’s health

June 1, 2018 3 Comments

An open letter to Prince Harry and Meghan: Four things I wish I’d known as a newlywed

We don’t know each other but we have important things in common – and it’s not just that we are both Harrys and both former

May 22, 2018 2 Comments

The ‘burning injustice’ that the poor no longer marry

Harry and Meghan have just done it. His older brother did it a few years ago. Some of his cousins have done it. And his father

May 22, 2018 1 Comment

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

Marriage is ‘heteronormative’ and ‘patriarchal‘, according to lawyers representing a couple in the Supreme Court this week. Their gripe is that whereas same sex couples

May 15, 2018 1 Comment

Broken homes, broken children

The UK has the highest level of family instability in the entire developed world. Our epidemic levels of family breakdown were highlighted in a recent international

May 14, 2018 2 Comments

Family breakdown costs £50bn a year

When couples split up, families move from one to two households. Poverty is a common outcome that affects children. Six out of ten lone parents are supported by the state compared to one out of ten couple parents. That's where most of the £50bn is spent.

UK Among highest family breakdown in Europe

Five years ago, the UK had the highest rate of family breakdown in Europe. We're not doing as badly today, but only because of big falls in divorce rates. Alas there's no sign of a similar improvement among cohabitees

Lower Divorce Rates – Higher Lone Parents

Divorce rates have plummeted over the past 3 decades, but the number of lone parents has doubled in the same period. Why?... Because unmarried parents make up only one in five cohabiting parents but are responsible for one half of all family breakdown.

Stability is found in Marriage

Whereas stability is the norm if parents are married (75% stay together), it is the exception if they are not (30% stay together). As a result, among parents of teens who are still together as a couple, nine out of ten are married

Single Most Important Factor

The single most important factor in a child’s healthy development is the stable relationship of the parents. Our groundbreaking research shows that family breakdown is the #1 predictor of teenage mental health problems.

The Marriage Foundation is registered as a charity in England and Wales.

Registered charity number: 1150453

Site by Orange and Blue