The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has released a report criticising the government for what it calls the growing culture of “disposable dads” in the UK.
According to the report, around a million children are growing up without meaningful contact with their fathers, and 43 per cent of 15 year olds are currently living without a father.
The number of single parent families has risen by 20,000 each year between 2010 and 2013. Not only are these children losing their fathers, but the CSJ predicts that one million children in the UK lose contact with grandparents as a consequence of separation or divorce.
These figures show that the Government is “sleepwalking into a family breakdown crisis”, according to Dr Samantha Callan who co-wrote the report and calls for improving family stability to be a priority. She suggests that strong and lasting relationships with both parents are in the best interests of children, so strengthening the role of fathers in society is essential to promote family values and stop the disposable dad culture, the CSJ believes.
There is also an apparent link between these “broken homes” and poverty – the report showed that three-quarters of families in the poorest areas of the UK have a lone parent. The CSJ’s director, Christian Guy, said, “For too long family breakdown has gone unchallenged despite the devastating impact it has on adults, children and communities.”
Next year, the Government will be introducing a £1,000 Transferable Tax Allowance for married couples, which could reduce their annual tax bill by up to £200. Although the CSJ welcomes this move, they believe the bar has been set too low and should be set at £2,000, significantly increasing the incentive for couples to get married.
The CSJ has said that the promotion of marriage is needed to keep more families together, as their research shows that parents who cohabit are around three times more likely than married parents to have separated by the time the child is five years old, which is a factor causing the “breakdown crisis”.
There is however no easy formula to bringing up a child, and certainly by no means will a marriage automatically transform a couple into better parents overnight. Perhaps simply focusing on the best interests of every child – whether a child be with one parent or two – is a more appropriate focus to take, rather than attempting to re-institutionalise marriage as the default way to successfully bring a child, when it seems clear that marriage is no longer as symbolically important today as it once was.
Family Breakdown Lawyers in Glasgow, Scotland
At McCarthy Law, we know just how complex family life can be. Therefore whether you are looking for advice on child law, parental rights and responsibilities, marriage, divorce or another family law matter altogether, we can help. Contact us today by calling 0141 337 6678 or by filling out our enquiry form.