Marriage Foundation
When he was still sitting as a High Court judge in the family division, we supported Sir Paul Coleridge to launch Marriage Foundation as a charity (it received independent charity registration in January 2013) and have continued to advise and support its operations.
One fact behind the launch of the Foundation was that at the time a new born child had only about a 50:50 chance of living with both birth parents when aged 15. And over 90% of the 15 year olds living with both birth parents had married parents. Despite all the myths most marriages are ‘till death us do part’.
Too many people and families – children, adults and society as a whole – experience the emotional and financial costs of shattered relationships. If we allow the myths to perpetuate: that marriage is ‘just a piece of paper’; that getting married makes no difference and is just as likely as informal cohabitation to fail; or that ‘common law marriage’ exists, then the result will be more breakdown, more costs, more hurt and pain, and more children whose chances in life are compromised.
All the steps that go to make up marriage make a real difference. Making a commitment, a clear intentional public decision and putting the whole on a legal footing in front of family and friends; preparing for and working at a life-long relationship; sticking at it and getting help when things get tough (‘mend it, don’t end it”).
Marriage Foundation has changed opinion and public understanding through its widely reported research and campaigns. One indication of the impact is the successful partnership with The Times on family law reform. Recent research on family breakdown and teenage mental health was widely covered in the press and will provide the baseline for further research in this area.
While we no longer provide the administrative secretariat for Marriage Foundation or organise conferences and events, we continue to advise on research projects, partnerships and communications.