Research Papers

Establishing the facts about family breakdown
and transforming the debate about marriage

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.

Briefing Paper

This briefing note draws together our most significant findings to date.

See Our Top 10 Key Facts on Marriage

Quarter of a million couples pretend to live apart

Around a quarter of a million of couples are claiming lone parent benefits, while continuing to reap the benefits of a two-parent household. Over 240,000

September 15, 2013 No Comments

Divorce rates immune from boom and bust

A report from the leading think-tank, The Marriage Foundation, explodes the myth about a link between divorce and recession. Relationship charities have previously claimed that

June 24, 2013 No Comments

The myth of long-term stable relationships outside of marriage

• 45 per cent of young teenagers (aged 13-15 years old) are not living with both parents • Half of all family breakdown takes place

May 22, 2013 No Comments

Second marriages are less likely to end in divorce than first

The Marriage Foundation think-tank has produced a report revealing that second marriages are more stable than first marriages, challenging the widely held belief that couples

April 28, 2013 No Comments

Startling new MF research on UK divorce rate

A new report by The Marriage Foundation think-tank has shattered the common assumption that the divorce rate for all couples is higher than it was

February 7, 2013 No Comments

Celebrities twice as likely to divorce as the rest of the married UK population

A new report from The Marriage Foundation finds that after 10 years of marriage the divorce rate for celebrities is 40 per cent. For the

November 18, 2012 No Comments

Modern men make better husbands, says new study

From their peak in 1993, the number of divorces in England and Wales has fallen by 27% from 165,018 to 119,589 per year. More importantly,

September 15, 2012 No Comments

Archive Section

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.

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

Registered charity number: 1150453

Site by Orange and Blue

Research Papers

Establishing the facts about family breakdownand transforming the debate about marriage

Archive Section

Sign up for updates

Establishing the facts about family breakdown
and transforming the debate about marriage