The Decline of the Family

The traditional British family is in trouble. And the Govern­ment, in its new Green Paper supporting families, says it wants to "strengthen the of institution marriage". But does it really?

How fragile is marriage in Britain? Statistically, it's in bad shape. Britain now has highest divorce rate in Europe. More than 40% of marriages now end in divorce and well over half of those involve children under 16.

What accounts for the decline in "family values"? It stems from a series of trends, some of them irreversible. They include the greater economic independence of women; the rise in expectations of personal fulfillment within and outside mar­riage; the decline of religion and an attendant sense of obliga­tion. But post-war government policy has also played its part.

What have post-war governments actually done? First, they have made divorce easier. Legal aid for divorce was intro­duced in 1950, and the 1970 divorce reform act sanctioned the idea of "no-fault divorce". The National Assistance Act of 1948 assumed that any couple living together, regardless of marital status, should be treated as a married unit for social security purposes.

So all the policies in question were Labour policies? Not at all. It was Margaret Thatcher's government which re­moved the legal distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children in 1987, and which made it possible to divorce after one year of marriage instead of three. And it was John Major's government which, in 1996, dispensed with the need for cou­ples to give reasons about why they wanted a divorce.

How does the Green Paper propose to help the family? It puts much of its faith in better "consumer advice". Hence the proposals for a new National Family and Parenting Institute; for better education about parenting in school. It also wants health visitors to be trained to offer help and advice about family life. Families would also receive monetary help: it proposes that £540 million should be spent on a Sure Start program to rescue deprived children from crime, and that families on low incomes should receive tax credits. It also confirmed that there will be a rise in child benefit.

And are the traditionalists happy with these proposals? No. They argue that the Government's concern to make life easier for parents does little to strengthen the marriage bond. For example, the Green Paper's proposal for newlyweds deter­mining who gets what in the event of divorce simply serves, say the critics, to make divorce easier.

Do other EU countries pay greater regards to the fam­ily? Yes. In many, the institution of marriage is explicitly encouraged both through law and the tax system. The German constitution puts "marriage and family" under the special protec­tion of the state. The German system supports the traditional family in other ways, too: there is very little day care for pre­school children and the school day in Germany ends early, making it difficult for mother to work. The downside is that mar­riage has lost its attraction for many young women; birth and marriage rates are low.