Leading London lawyer, Deborah Jeff, Head of Family at Seddons solicitors, comments on the report published today by the Centre for Social Justice that warns married couples ‘will be in the minority by 2050’…
The CSJ report, available here, will be launched today at a CSJ fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference.
It will criticise the Government’s “failure” to do more to tackle family breakdown and will say by 2031 only 57 per cent of families will be headed by married couples, with the number dropping to 49.5 per cent by 2047.
Deborah says: “It has been proven that families where the couple is married are less likely to break down. Whilst unmarried couples may find reasons not to commit to each other in law, children of such relationships are more likely to have separated parents than their class mates. This fact speaks for itself. It is timely that the CSJ have highlighted the trend now whilst there is still the opportunity to take action before the percentage of married couples falls below 50%.
“Family lawyers experience first-hand the damage caused to children when their parents’ relationship breaks down. David Cameron might want to consult the Marriage Foundation, established in May of this year by family Judge Paul Coleridge to increase the rate of marriage and reduce the rate of divorce. This will be achieved through ‘… a sustained and intelligent campaign of persuasion and developing a presence on the internet which will provide everything any individual or couple would want about marriage.
“While ‘anything goes’ for some couples nowadays, it cannot do any harm at all to inform generally public regarding the institution of marriage and its benefits. A commitment in law by marriage is beneficial not just for the couple but most importantly for their children.”
Seddons (http://www.seddons.co.uk/) is a 20-year-old central London law firm (based at 5 Portman Square) with a total of over 70 staff, including 19 partners.
Chambers notes ‘This team offers clients the full range of family services, and is particularly noted for its expertise on divorce proceedings’ and the Legal 500 says ‘Deborah Jeff provides an excellent level of service at Seddons’.
