AIBU to be very shocked only 3% of unmarried parents stay together until child is 16!

[littlemoominmamma]

3% is nothing!!! It is soooo sad. 1 out of every 3 couples have seperated before the child is 5yrs old

I am now glad that the tories are going to give married couples help.

"Just goes to show that marriage is more than "just a piece of paper".., it really makes me laugh when the unmarrieds call it that.....not getting married means you can do a runner whenever you like, there's no real commitment there.....which your stats prove."

Yeah but it's not exactly difficult to get divorced, is it? Isn't the divorce rate more than 1 in 3? And that doesn't count all the people who shag around and don't get caught...

Good point Pisces makes

The problem with stats like this is that you can happily cohabit for decades, but if you then marry you are removed from the successful cohabitation stats and placed in the married stats, so statistically it's as if all those years of successful cohabitation never happened

Marriage statistics are barely better!!!

So a piece of paper means nothing......

oh good, am glad have stayed married

children haven't seen him for years but at least am doing my bit for the statistics

Oh well. Another vote for single parenthood from mn. Cos that's just so GREAT isn't it.

Not sure what the marriage stats are like? would love to know.

I worked at the census office which collates stuff like this (data processing deaths! So I know how anal they are about figures and they are very careful that they are not manipulated (by any political party before being released) -

I can remember how careful they were when lady Di. was killed, no-one was told and the death was recorded and a press release given out before we knew (so that no political party could use the information) - I think there are laws covering this.

Any-way the statistics are factual. (what you make of them is up to you really)

Oh dear the DM brigade are really scraping the barrel!Many people with the requisite piece of paper are not what i would call together!These stats mean nothing.marriage stats are the same and more violence with the piece of paper(explain that) than without yet i wouldn't condemn people for wanting to get married.

If one in three get divorced then that's thirty three per cent maybe, so eleven times better would just be "barely better" I think.

Don't know how the stats work out re: second and third marriages though: do they count marriage years with first family, second family and so on.

Or if two in three stay married can that be right? it's twenty two times better.

Marriage stats aren't the same.

Oh just the point that if anybody round here says marriage is a good thing it begets scorn and disbelief and horror and it's just so predictable.

the stats are only covering 16 years.....is there a proper link to this?

a cuople may have four dc,but these stats only say til which child reaches 16?

I am married, so no anti-marriage axe to grind here.

But am interested to know if the figures are purely counting those who are in a relationship when their child is born and remain in it (or don't) until the child is 16.

Do they include:

1. Couples who get married after their child is born (bet they don't)
2. Parents who weren't in a relationship by the time of the birth (bet they do)

Because if you're factoring in single mothers from birth, and factoring out those who marry post-birth, this looks like cherry-picking of the worst kind to me.

And FWIW, I think the married tax break is a stupid idea. Have yet to hear any Tory confirming or denying whether DH would be entitled to it if he ditched me and married a younger model - and I wouldn't, bringing up DS alone, but I suspect that would be the case...

false dichotomy

people who marry are already more likely to stay together, so these figures meaningless

incentivising others to get married

a) doesn't affect the numbers getting married very much

b) doesn't prevent those who are going to split from splitting.

one look at the relationships board says it aint so great being married!!

All that says is only 3% of unmarried couples stay unmarried for 16 years!

Soon as they get married they are no longer part of that statistic, not very manipulative at all

[rolleyes]

'Oh well. Another vote for single parenthood from mn. Cos that's just so GREAT isn't it.'

Oh i forgot the only options we have are being single or being married!

Even if the 3% is true

Getting married won't stop people splitting up.

If everyone got married you would simply end up with a much higher divorce rate, you wouldn't magically make all these relationships suddenly work.

It is just a figure, if you have a child and are in a relationship but not married that is what will be recorded. In 16 years time they will again recorded wether you and your partner are still together 3% were.

YABVU

Found a link here (sorry for source).

It isn't technically the National Office of Statistics, it is an analysis of the census figures by someone from "The Bristol Community Family Trust", so basically it is his interpretation of the statistics.

Agree with everyone who said about the stats being manipulated, and the fact that marriage would have no effect on keeping those couples together if they really wanted to split.

ahem, mention how careful they were about Lady Di being killed.... she wasn't actually Lady Di... not sure this backs up your 'its all terribly factual' argument...