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Marriages or civil partnerships represent two thirds of all families in 2023 in the UK, according to new figures released today by the Office for
BBC Radio 4’s Moral Maze Marriage Foundation research director Harry Benson makes the case for marriage in response to searching questions from the panel (10
PRESS RELEASE … IMMEDIATE The latest population estimates from the Office for National Statistics show that the proportion who are married has fallen below half
Read Harry’s November newsletter here Divorce down to 1970 levels At last a genuine good news story. Using data we commissioned from the Office for
Read Harry’s September newsletter here Family Unfriendly Britain Hello! Last week I had the honour of speaking at the Budapest Demographic Summit. The conference was
It’s been a while since our last newsletter, so there’s a few more things than normal: Research reports on the ‘Marriage Gap‘ (Mail on Sunday, Talk TV) and
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.
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