New study shows marriage boosts family stability

New research shows that marriage is the “gold standard” and reduces relationship breakdown among first-time parents.

A study from the University of Bristol by Dr Harry Benson of the Marriage Foundation explored how the timing of marriage  — before, during, or after pregnancy — impacts separation rates among first-time parents. He found that marriage reduces the likelihood of separation among all societal groups, with those who marry before pregnancy benefiting the most.

Dr Benson rejected claims from earlier studies that the observed increase in family stability is to be attributed to financial security and better education.

Strengthening families

The academic found that, by the time their child turned 14, the probability of separation for couples who never marry stood at 45 per cent compared to 26 per cent for those who marry before conception.

Dr Benson said: “This groundbreaking study categorically demonstrates the benefits of marrying, and blows apart decades of Government policy that has consistently downgraded marriage to just another form of relationship like cohabitating.

“It also serves as a rebuke to those politicians who have sneered at the institution and have, through their actions, actively discouraged marriage among the poorest couples with punitive welfare policies and a lack of courage to promote marriage for fear of being seen as old-fashioned or judgmental.”

The report argues: “If marriage itself contributes to stability, then policies that are neutral on marriage are not neutral in effect. Reducing social and fiscal barriers to marriage could therefore play a meaningful role in strengthening family stability and reducing the long-run social and economic costs of family breakdown.”

Marriage binds

Commenting on the study, Coalition for Marriage said: “It is not merely that stable people marry, but that marrying itself makes couples more stable.”

“The public promise, made for life, does exactly what marriage has always claimed to do: it binds.”

The pro-marriage group added: “A government that rewards couples for not marrying, even as the evidence shows marriage is what keeps families together, is not standing back – it is dismantling marriage by stealth, and it is children who will pay.”