Item from the Smart Marriages Archive, reproduced in the Divorce Statistics Collection
Thursday, July 23, 1998 BBC

UK Politics

Politicians back traditional family

Three thousand children watch their parents split up every week

Family breakdowns are leading to youth crime, unemployment and
anti-social behaviour, according to a parliamentary report.

MPs and peers are warning that "a whole generation of children" are
suffering in school as men lose their self-esteem in an increasingly
"matriarchal family".

The report, written by the Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection
Group, adds that it believes that marriage is the "healthiest
environment" for the family.

Children benefit from having their mothers at home for up to three years.

It called for wide ranging help and support for families including:

Family support schemes including parenting classes Action to improve
educational achievement among men Enlisting "substitute
grannies" for families cut off from relatives

The report comes as Home Secretary Jack Straw is expected to announce
that the government will set up an Institute for the Family,
aimed at preventing the breakdown of family life in the UK.

More than 3,000 children see their parents split up every week in the UK
- the second highest divorce rate in Europe.

The report says that families could have more chance of lasting if
measures were taken to deal with male unemployment and to help
fathers become positive role models.

It also recommended investigating how to get more men to train as primary
school teachers to again give children positive male role
models.

Family education sessions in schools could help promote marriage as "the
ideal" - including enlisting the media.

Married couples should get better tax-breaks and child allowances.

Ministers are expected to back many of the recommendations, including
parenting support groups and extending the role of the health
visitor.

Mr Straw said that the idea for a national institute had come from a
nine-month study of the effects of government policy on the family.

He said: "I am the last person to preach to people how to bring up their
kids. But I do believe that many parents are desperate for
advice.

"All the evidence is that people are concerned about what to do next,
where to go for advice."

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