In the first six years of Marriage Foundation we have focused on establishing the reality of family stability and instability: what actually happens to couples and their children, who stays together and who splits up. This is transforming the debate about marriage which, previously, had been obscured by myths and misconceptions.
This briefing note draws together our most significant findings to date.
See Our Top 10 Key Facts on Marriage
Britain has the highest level of family breakdown in recorded history: our research finds that 45% of teens are not living with both natural parents.
Marriage matters for one simple reason. The psychology behind the act of marriage encourages greater commitment and stability among couples. This buffers couples and their
Just over half of all Gen Z men and women will ever marry, according to our new analysis of marriage data from the Office for
Who today could disagree that couples should stay ‘trapped in an unhappy marriage’? The only problem with this narrative is that it’s a myth. Undoubtedly
We recommend scrapping the two poorly targeted Marriage Allowances, which cost the Treasury £700 million per year, and front-loading the money as a taxable Child
Relationship educators often recommend that couples go on regular ‘Date Nights’ to keep their relationship alive and healthy. But is there any evidence from research
Read our new report here Until April 2022, when the new rules for ‘no-fault’ divorce came in, couples had to file for divorce in either
Divorce rates are now back to 1970 levels, according to our new research using Office for National Statistics data. Download the research paper here. Using
Harry Benson will be speaking at the Budapest Demographic Summit 14/15 September If the UK has any kind of family policy, it revolves around childcare
By the age of 14, 46% of UK children are not living with both natural parents. This is data from 4,476 first born children in
The importance of family economics (e.g. incomes) is well known and well represented in research and government policy on education. What is frequently overlooked in
Top Family judge calls on senior politicians to break their decade of silence on the importance of marriage Sir Paul Coleridge, who was a senior
As we transition our back catalogue of material to the format of our new site you can access it here.
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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