The recommendation comes in the first published evidence to the Family Stability Review launched by the Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith.
The Foundation’s report reveals that families most at risk are those with unmarried new parents. It also finds that couples living together make up less than one in five parents, but half of all family breakdowns.
Family stability review
The aim of the Family Stability Review is to find ways the state can help strengthen families.
The Marriage Foundation says families with young children face the greatest pressure and potential for break-ups and should receive more state funding.
The report also finds half of all family break-down happens before a couple’s child reaches its second birthday.
Encourage marriage
“There is little point in the Government attempting to improve the stability of established marriages. Approximately as many married couples who stuck it out between 1960 and 1970 are still together as those who married in 2000 and made it to 2010, despite the many social and cultural changes in that period,” explains Foundation spokesman Harry Benson.
He added: “What we need to do instead is to encourage couples considering having a family, to marry and then support them through the trouble-filled early stages.
“If they can make their marriage work for ten years, their children will have an 80- percent chance of their family staying together for good.”
Mr. Benson added that while many people object to state attempts to influence personal decisions such as marriage, that at the least the Government should not discourage commitment.
Couples penalised
“Currently, there is a couple penalty on all partners who share a home. It can cost parents with one child up to £7,100 a year in lost tax credits the moment they move in together.
“So the Government is incentivising couples not to commit. Meanwhile it is spending more than the entire defence budget on the costs of family breakdown - £46billion including court fees, child truancy, juvenile delinquency and related incidents of crime.
“No less important is the unseen personal impact on the lives of our young people. The effects of family instability in early years continue to be felt decades later.’
He concluded: “It may be difficult politically to be seen to favour married couples, but the focus should be on children and giving parents incentives to create the most stable possible environment for bringing up their families.”
Sources:
Daily Mail