Should couples with children be forced into marriage?

Nowadays, couples are finding it much easier to live with their partner and baby before taking a trip down the aisle. While this isn’t the traditional way of doing things, a lot of mums and dads seem happy enough with this arrangement.

 

However, UK politician Duncan Smith thinks that marriage should be encouraged among couples once they have a child.

 

Smith believes that the state should help couples with young children because that is the toughest time for most families, leaving them with a higher chance of breaking up.

 

The Marriage Foundation also reported that those with the highest risk of breaking up are unmarried new parents.

 

However, the foundation’s spokesman Harry Benson doesn’t see any reason for the government to try and keep marriages together, he said: “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.”

 

The report found that 50% of family breakdowns happen before a child turns two. On the other hand, couples who make it to the ten-year-mark aren’t really influenced by outside factors.