UK Wedding News
08/12/2011
The majority of people feel their family is unrepresented by politicians, the media and advertising with 52 per cent claiming the Government does not take their family set-up into account.
Research from the Centre for the Modern Family, a new think tank launched by Scottish Widows to improve the understanding of the challenges facing modern British families, reveals that just 16 per cent of people define themselves as part of a 'traditional' family of two married parents living together with two or more children. Instead, the findings indicate family structures are becoming increasingly diverse. A quarter of all couples are childless, and one in five lives alone.
As a result of this, half of the population believe society is out of date in its view of the family. In addition to married mums and dads with two or more children, Britons are increasingly likely to describe single-parent, same-sex, or unmarried couples as 'proper' families.
Made up of experts in family life, including Professor Tanya Byron, Dr Samantha Callan, Centre for Social Justice, Dr Katherine Rake, Family and Parenting Institute and Dr Husna Ahmed, CEO of the Faith Regen Foundation, the Centre for the Modern Family aims to explore the consequences of changing attitudes to family life.
Some of the most striking research findings centre on people's attitudes to what constitutes a "proper family". Fifty seven per cent of people no longer believe that a couple with children have to be married to be a family. Beyond the subject of marriage, 77 per cent of people believe that single parents can be a proper family; and 59 per cent believe that same sex couples can be a family.
However, a significant minority of people disagree with these views indicating a strong polarisation of opinion. A third, 34 per cent, thinks that a couple should be married to be a family. Just under a third, 29 per cent, believe that same sex couples are not a proper family, and almost one in five, 17 per cent, feel that single parents are not a proper family.
Half of respondents feel that society is out of date with its view of the family. Almost a quarter, 22 per cent, do not believe their family is valued by society and almost a fifth, 18 per cent, feel judged because of their family set-up.
More than half don't think that the Government takes their family into account and 55 per cent do not think their family set-up is portrayed by the media, on television or in advertising. Interestingly, a quarter of people believe that businesses do not cater for their type of family.
Professor Tanya Byron said: "Family is the spine of society. Everyone comes from a family, everyone has an opinion on family, and without this vital support network many of us would simply break. At a time of continued social change and as the financial squeeze on families gets even tighter, The Centre for the Modern Family aims to improve understanding, and ultimately strengthen families - in all their varied forms - across the country."
Lord Leitch, Chair of Centre for the Modern Family, said: "As a business established to support families, Scottish Widows has created a new think tank to help us better understand the complex support networks that we draw on throughout our lives. This research raises a number of important issues about British families. The Centre for the Modern Family has been created to address these important issues which have such a huge affect on society."
(GK)
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Britain Wakes Up To Modern Family Format
The traditional 2.4 British family is a thing of the past, with eight out of 10 people now describing their family set-up as not traditional, or not conforming to the stereotypical two married parents with two or more children.The majority of people feel their family is unrepresented by politicians, the media and advertising with 52 per cent claiming the Government does not take their family set-up into account.
Research from the Centre for the Modern Family, a new think tank launched by Scottish Widows to improve the understanding of the challenges facing modern British families, reveals that just 16 per cent of people define themselves as part of a 'traditional' family of two married parents living together with two or more children. Instead, the findings indicate family structures are becoming increasingly diverse. A quarter of all couples are childless, and one in five lives alone.
As a result of this, half of the population believe society is out of date in its view of the family. In addition to married mums and dads with two or more children, Britons are increasingly likely to describe single-parent, same-sex, or unmarried couples as 'proper' families.
Made up of experts in family life, including Professor Tanya Byron, Dr Samantha Callan, Centre for Social Justice, Dr Katherine Rake, Family and Parenting Institute and Dr Husna Ahmed, CEO of the Faith Regen Foundation, the Centre for the Modern Family aims to explore the consequences of changing attitudes to family life.
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Some of the most striking research findings centre on people's attitudes to what constitutes a "proper family". Fifty seven per cent of people no longer believe that a couple with children have to be married to be a family. Beyond the subject of marriage, 77 per cent of people believe that single parents can be a proper family; and 59 per cent believe that same sex couples can be a family.
However, a significant minority of people disagree with these views indicating a strong polarisation of opinion. A third, 34 per cent, thinks that a couple should be married to be a family. Just under a third, 29 per cent, believe that same sex couples are not a proper family, and almost one in five, 17 per cent, feel that single parents are not a proper family.
Half of respondents feel that society is out of date with its view of the family. Almost a quarter, 22 per cent, do not believe their family is valued by society and almost a fifth, 18 per cent, feel judged because of their family set-up.
More than half don't think that the Government takes their family into account and 55 per cent do not think their family set-up is portrayed by the media, on television or in advertising. Interestingly, a quarter of people believe that businesses do not cater for their type of family.
Professor Tanya Byron said: "Family is the spine of society. Everyone comes from a family, everyone has an opinion on family, and without this vital support network many of us would simply break. At a time of continued social change and as the financial squeeze on families gets even tighter, The Centre for the Modern Family aims to improve understanding, and ultimately strengthen families - in all their varied forms - across the country."
Lord Leitch, Chair of Centre for the Modern Family, said: "As a business established to support families, Scottish Widows has created a new think tank to help us better understand the complex support networks that we draw on throughout our lives. This research raises a number of important issues about British families. The Centre for the Modern Family has been created to address these important issues which have such a huge affect on society."
(GK)
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20/03/2020
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