• 45 per cent of young teenagers (aged 13-15 years old) are not living with both parents
• Half of all family breakdown takes place during the first two years
• Amongst parents who remain intact, 93 per cent are married
Compelling new evidence that couples who don’t marry rarely offer a secure and stable home for their children has been produced in a major new piece of research.
45 per cent of young teenagers, aged 13-15, are no longer living with both their parents, a report carried out by the Marriage Foundation has found.
Amongst parents of young teenagers who do remain intact, 93 per cent are married.
In sharp contrast, of the 47 per cent of children born to unmarried parents today, the report predicts that just 11 per cent will reach the age of 16 with unmarried parents still together. The remainder will either marry or split up. Those who remain unmarried and intact are a small minority.
The report highlights concerns that the Government has ignored the strong correlation between marital status and family breakdown and focused instead on “long term stable relationships” when developing family policy papers.
The study is based on the results of a large longitudinal survey of 40,000 households between 2010 and 2011.
Harry Benson of the Marriage Foundation said, ‘The report provides solid evidence that married parents are more stable than unmarried parents.
‘The contrast between married and unmarried parents who remain intact by the time their children reach their teenage years demonstrates that marital status plays a crucial role in family breakdown.
‘With family breakdown costing an estimated £46 billion a year – that’s to say, more than the entire defence budget – in addition to the immeasurable social damage, it is clearly in the interest of government and the taxpayer to work to counter this devastating trend.
‘Despite the evidence behind the stability of marriage, the Government seems fixed on airbrushing marriage from family policy papers,’ Harry Benson added.
‘Whilst government policy disregards the crucial role marriage plays in helping couples stay together, the epidemic of family breakdown will roll on. Almost all couples who remain intact whilst bringing up their children are married. The most family-friendly Government of all time – as promised in 2010 – needs to recognise this hard evidence and do something about it. ’
Harry Benson appeared on Newsnight on Wednesday in a discussion of the Transferable Tax Allowance. Also part of the debate was Claire Paye, spokesperson for Mothers at Home Matter. The pressure group has welcomed the amendment to the Finance Bill, tabled by Tim Loughton, to introduce a Transferable Tax Allowance to couples with children under 6 years old.