A nation needs to produce enough children to at least maintain its population size. And it must bring those children up to be healthy adults with the skills and the virtues to maintain – or advance – that nation’s prosperity, values and culture and in turn to produce the next generation. I have a degree in genetics and I used to be a biology teacher, and in biology, one of the clearest indicators of a species’ success is its rate of reproduction. How many offspring can be produced, protected from predators, and raised to reach reproductive maturity?
Throughout history, the UK has been a successful nation – our institutions, constitution, industry, education, armed forces and even our health service have all been the envy of the world at different times. But this success has only been possible because successive generations have reproduced themselves, ensuring the continuity and renewal of our economy, culture and national identity.
We can say ‘hurrah’ for contraception, and choice, and women’s rights and gender equality and all these things that have done much good in and of themselves. But there is little point in all the great endeavours of those of us working in politics, in charities, in think tanks, in journalism, in law, in academia and many other areas if society cannot reproduce itself. There is no legacy without reproduction.
Marriage may be far from perfect, but nevertheless it is the best institution that societies have developed for the successful raising of children. The political class has often denigrated marriage as outdated and optional, and even patriarchal and oppressive. And no doubt some marriages are.
But we haven’t practised what we preached. Marriage rates in high income groups have remained high, and divorce rates low, and privileged children have therefore largely been protected from the tragic consequences of family breakdown. Meanwhile, amongst low income groups marriage rates have completely collapsed and children who are already disadvantaged face the additional disadvantage of family breakdown and instability. Marriage has become a middle-class secret and as a political class we have failed to be honest about its advantages for children.
Those were the edited highlights...