Marriage Foundation in the News

Jul 30, 2021 by

Letter to The Telegraph from Harry Benson, The Marriage Foundation:

SIR – In writing about the end of her own marriage, Anne Theroux (Features, July 8) asserts that divorce rates have spiked during the past year. It’s simply not true. According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Justice, 5,800 fewer divorce petitions began during the year to the end of March compared to the previous year.

While it is true that lockdown has been stressful for many families, our analysis of data from the household survey Understanding Society also shows that three times more marriages actually improved rather than worsened. The group that has struggled most is unmarried cohabiting mothers. Whereas lockdown has affirmed the commitment made by those who marry, it has exposed the fragility of relationships that are more ambiguous.

Marriage offers no guarantee of success, but it stacks the odds heavily in our favour. The testing times of the past year have proven it.

Harry Benson, Research Director, Marriage Foundation

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