A bombshell study has found that Britons have 'massively underestimated' the importance of getting married, with campaigners warning that government refusal to recognize this is a disaster for the nation.
Marriage Boosts Relationship Stability
People who get married are radically more likely to stay together, according to new research by the Marriage Foundation. The organization argues that successive governments have failed to acknowledge the importance of marriage, with catastrophic consequences.
The foundation's research reveals that couples who marry before the conception of their first child are half as likely to split up as those who do not wed. Research director Harry Benson stated: 'In short, being married substantially increases the chances that parents stay together, regardless of when marriage occurs and regardless of socio-economic background.'
Systematic Underestimation of Marriage
The foundation claims there has been a 'systematic underestimation' of marriage's importance in the UK. Their study of 3,324 couples over 14 years identified a persistent 'marriage effect' that remains even after accounting for factors like age, education, income, race, religion, and region.
The study found that cohabiting couples face a 4.1% risk of break-up during the first three years of parenthood, compared to 2.5% for married parents. By the time a child reaches 14, the probability of separation is 45% for never-married couples versus just 26% for those who married.
Critique of Government Policy
Benson criticized government policy that has 'consistently downgraded marriage to just another form of relationship like cohabitating.' He also rebuked politicians who have 'sneered at the institution' and actively discouraged marriage among poorer couples through punitive welfare policies.
He noted that married couples from the lowest socio-economic group have a lower break-up rate than the richest cohabitees, while divorce rates have fallen to levels not seen since the early 1970s.
Call for Government Action
The foundation warns that treating marriage and cohabitation as 'functionally equivalent' contributes to family breakdown. Ministers are urged to actively promote marriage and ensure fiscal policy and benefits favor married and civil-partnered couples.
Benson claimed the government spends as little as £1 helping families stay together for every £6,000 dealing with the consequences of family breakdown. He called for targeted incentives for low and middle-income couples and an end to the 'crazy and factually inaccurate mantra that all relationships are the same.'
Expert Perspective
An Institute for Fiscal Studies spokesperson noted that identifying the impact of marriage is difficult because those who marry differ from those who do not. Their research in the early 2010s found that differences in income and education explained much of the gap in relationship stability.
